A Moment in Time
by Kazzy
Summary: If every decision we make determines where we end up, what if instead of doing one thing, we do another? An AU about Padmé and the twins. New Chapter: “He was not strong enough, Captain Solo, not strong enough by a half – but they are.”
1. Prologue

_(20th February 2005)  
Hey guys! I need your help. Please. If you're reading through this and you come across something that makes it look like I might be missing a sentence, or that the formatting has gone screwy, please let me know. I've managed to catch a few chapters, but there are thirty-one chapters in total, which is a lot of chapters to read through, so I'd really appreciate your help! Thanks, Kazzy. _

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**Title:** A Moment in Time  
**Author:** Kazzy  
**Email:** Frame: ep.III – ep.VI  
**Rating: **PG  
**Characters:** Padmé/Luke/Leia/Vader/Han  
**Keywords:** AU, Angst  
**Summary:** If every decision we make determines where we end up, what if instead of doing one thing, we do another? Obi-Wan and the Jedi never knew that Padmé was pregnant with Anakin's children. _"Here you are tottering around less than a day after giving birth to twins!"  
_**Disclaimer: **I don't own Star Wars. No, really, I don't. However, if someone would like to bequeath it to me, I wouldn't object.  
**Notes:** Please read and review. 

**Prologue**

-x-x-x-x-x-x-  
_"We are not permitted to choose the frame of our destiny. But what we put into it is ours." – Dag Hammarskjold  
_-x-x-x-x-x-x-

She lay on the bed exhausted, struggling to keep her eyes open, fighting away the sleep that so desperately wanted to claim her. She listened as the last of the occupants in the house settled down for the night. Everything was still and silent; it was time to move.

Up, she pushed her aching, drained body from the bed. She sat on the edge for a moment gathering her strength both emotionally and physically for what was about to come.

Moving over to the crib in the corner, she looked down at its two occupants, both sleeping soundly; quiet – for now. Only sixteen standard hours old Luke and Leia Skywalker had proven to be perfectly capable of bringing attention to themselves when they so desired. If one were to wake now, however, it would be disastrous, for they would wake the other and then bring the rest of the well-meaning, yet interfering, family to wait on them. Their mother needed their silence for now.

Tearing herself away from her – currently – peaceful children, Padmé Amidala Skywalker shuffled over to her closet. She had discovered a few loose floorboards as a child and now she knelt, removing them to retrieve a small carryall, packed to busting with what she was going to need over the next while. Then she carefully dressed herself in clothes that were sturdy, but dull; designed to last, but be unnoticeable among a throng of people.

Finally ready, she sat – almost collapsed – back down on the bed. She hadn't realized that this would be so difficult, but right now all she wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep for days on end. The next few weeks would have been hard enough, just saying here resting and caring for her children while she recovered from their birth. And here she was going to make it harder: running, hiding herself and the babies, at the same time as she learned to be a mother. There was no choice, though. It had to be done. If not for everyone's best interests, then their safety.

Naboo would be an excellent place to raise her children. The streets were relatively safe; there was little pollution and a good education system. Here Padmé and her children would be surrounded by family, by people who cared for and loved them. If they stayed no one would be forced to spend a lifetime wondering where the people they loved were, if they were alive or dead. However she could not stay, Palpatine's Empire was rapidly spreading through the Republic. Naboo's distance from Coruscant and its weakness as a military power had kept it safe until now, but word had reached them: storm troopers would be here within the week. The planet Palpatine had once served as senator could not retain its independence for long – even they had to submit quietly or be crushed.

Padmé glanced down at the bed, still slightly warm from when she lay there not long ago. She'd been in labour for nearly twenty-eight standard hours, and had only a few hours sleep at a time since then. If she rested for a couple more minutes, it couldn't hurt, could it? She laid her head on the pillow and let her eyes drift shut...

Hours later she was awoken by a wailing child whose twin quickly followed suit and added to the cacophony. In Padmé's sleep-addled state she did still have enough sense to knock the bag under her bed where it would wait inconspicuously for her.

Looking down at the squalling children, Padmé had the sensation that was becoming familiar: which child to tend to first? As she scooped up the closest one – Leia – her own mother entered the room. Jobal Naberrie had done nothing over the last few months but fuss over her younger daughter, who had returned home in an attempt to hide her pregnancy.

"They're hungry Padmé," Jobal told her daughter, as she lifted Luke up, tsking at him and murmuring soft words of comfort. The twins only seemed to wake for food, and that was often enough.

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Padmé turned towards the seat by the window that clearly showed a faint line of light on the horizon getting wider and brighter. The noise lessoned fractionally as Leia's mouth found its way to her mother's breast and began to hungrily suckle. Padmé tuned out Luke's wail, which had began to quieten as his sister sated herself. Concentrating on the little girl in her arms, Padmé smiled; here was something the new mother could not get used to: feeding her children, holding her children, watching her children. They were only hours old but already spun at the centre of her universe.

Once Leia was done Padmé handed the little girl to Jobal and took the still hiccuping Luke, who looked up at her with damp baby-blue eyes. Jobal began to burp Leia, and Padmé had to blink past the mist in her eyes. She was going to miss more than just this help when she was gone.

She ran a gentle finger over her towheaded son's crown. Her beautiful baby boy. Who already looked far too much like his father for his mother's peace of mind. _Anakin_… her soul ached at the thought of her lost husband and she ruthlessly suppressed the memories, as she so often had over the last months. However, her incredibly sensitive children, so in tune with their surroundings, picked up on their mother's pain. Luke, now resting gently on Padmé's shoulder, let out a small mewl of confusion at the intense emotion and Leia, in her grandmother's arms, whimpered quietly. Padmé shifted her son, so she could take her daughter as well. Jobal reluctantly handed the small girl over, and then hovered above the three, brow creased in concern for her daughter and grandchildren

Padmé waved her away, a pang of guilt for what she intended to do tonight making it hard to tolerate her mother's presence. "It's okay, Mom, really, I'll put them down in a few moments, I promise." She stubbornly refused to meet the older woman's eyes.

"And get some rest yourself?" Jobal's voice was laden with the worry that had been constantly present in any conversation between the two over the last few months. She knew there was something her daughter wasn't telling her. Something beyond the incredible story of the now dead Jedi husband. The grief that her baby girl was hiding deep in her heart had shadowed her eyes and caused Jobal many sleepless nights.

Now Padmé looked up to her mother's eyes. Or rather her mothers eyebrows, a trick she had learned after a lifetime in politics. It would appear that she was looking in her mother's eyes. Or at least in this dim light, it would appear so. Politicians were usually a lot less astute than Jobal Naberrie, so didn't always pick up on this, but in better light Jobal would. "Of course, Mom." The lie felt heavy on her tongue and Padmé mentally apologised wishing things didn't have to be this way.

But they did. And Padmé's eyes filled with tears as she watched her mother leave the room. She kept her emotions buried deep down, though. Even before their birth, the twins had been able to sense what their mother was feeling and would accordingly react. It hadn't been an easy pregnancy. The grief stricken mother-to-be had had to hide, even from herself, what she was feeling in order to protect the two tiny beings inside her. She had hoped that with their birth she would finally be able to grieve. Apparently it was not to be.

Precious minutes slipped by as Padmé waited until she could safely assume her mother was back asleep. Gently kissing each drowsy baby on the head she awkwardly rose, stifling a gasp of pain that shot through her. She gritted her teeth and winced as she began the short journey to her bed where she put the children as she prepared to leave. The sky out of her window was now a dull grey, with a pink tint to the horizon. Within the next hour the family would rise for the day. She had to hurry.

Slipping on a sling meant for carrying two small children, she bent to pick up the bag under her bed. Once she had managed to hang that over her shoulders she paused briefly to catch her breath. Force, how was she supposed to get to a transport and off the planet carrying this and the twins? However, there was nothing for it; it simply had to be done. Scooping up first one child and then the other she put them in the sling, almost staggering under the slight increase of weight each brought, envying their ability to sleep while their exhausted mother hauled them and herself off-world.

Drawing all the strength she possessed to herself, she took a deep breath and tiptoed out her bedroom. As she headed for the front door she gave a brief prayer of thanks that she had not had to pass any other bedrooms. She started down the front path, wishing she could urge her tired, aching body faster. Clutching at the wall she placed one foot in front of the other concentrating on propelling herself to the street below.

Above the door slammed, and hurried feet sounded, heading her way. With speed born of desperation Padmé flung her pack in a particularly leafy bush and turned as her sister called out to her. "Padmé! Padmé!" Sola – who had lived with her parents for the last few weeks, as to be close to her pregnant sister – appeared round the corner. Padmé forced herself to relax. The look of relief that passed quickly over Sola's features was too intense to be hidden. She hurried up to her younger sister. "What are you doing? You should be resting not out wandering."

Padmé twisted her face into a look somewhere between consternation and repentance, as if she wasn't quite sure if she should be annoyed at the over-protectiveness, or guilty for doing something so silly. "I just wanted some air, Sola, and I thought I'd take the twins for their first taste of the world outside my bedroom."

Sola nodded, apparently accepting the reason, but a tightness around her lips said she believed otherwise. She sighed and reached out taking her nephew. Padmé almost sagged at the difference in weight, slight though it was.

"Look at you! You can barely stand up straight. I don't believe you. After Pooja and Ryoo I could have gladly stayed in bed for a week each, and here you are tottering around less than a day after giving birth to twins!" Sola's worry lent an edge to her tongue and she gently nudged Padmé ahead of her up the path. Padmé went without protest – there was no chance to leave now. She would have to wait for the next night. And she couldn't lie; it was relief to be headed back to bed.

Both women entered the house and Sola kept her eyes tightly on Padmé. Watching her, waiting for some sign of…something. Padmé desperately hoped that her sister had not guessed that escape was so high on her plans.

She was escorted firmly to her room and then placed under the ecstatic but firm guard of her two nieces. Ryoo and Pooja had been thrilled to learn they would have cousins, that their beloved Aunt Padmé was going to have some babies. The two girls were the only ones whose gaze didn't appear slightly apprehensive when falling on Padmé, the only ones who didn't watch her carefully.

Despite their support and the fact they hadn't pried too deeply into the events that had been presented to them, the adult members of her family remained slightly suspicious of what Padmé had told them.

Jobal seemed permanently anxious, and a line had appeared between Padmé's father's, Ruwee, brows, while Sola's lips had thinned. They had all sensed the deep turmoil in their daughter and sister. Noticed the refusal to grieve. They had been undeniably shocked when Padmé had turned up announcing that she was pregnant to a dead Jedi husband that they had never known she possessed. The identity of said husband had been less of a surprise. However, the fact that the workaholic Padmé had been married, particularly in secret, was astonishing. She had then informed them that they should tell no one; she wanted this hidden from the public's view. She had even gone so far as cut her hair and dye it black.

Padmé had refused to provide details about anything, but had such a vehement reaction to the slightest implication that her children did not belong to Anakin that her family had been forced to discard the possibility. Still, it was a general consensus that there was more to this than met the eye. It had been Sola, weeks later – and out of Padmé's earshot – who had asked if perhaps Anakin was not so dead. Just dead to his wife.

The Jedi were gone, there could be no doubt about that. The proud order dedicated to protecting the galaxy had been washed away with the old Republic. Those who had not perished in the Clone Wars had been hunted down and slaughtered by Emperor Palpatine and his shadow, the Sith Lord Darth Vader. Very few remained and those that did were divided and downtrodden, living at the edge of society. Whether or not Anakin was one of the remaining Jedi could not be ascertained through any source available. The only one who could tell them would only say that he was dead and shut her mouth, face grim, eyes filling with tears.

Padmé spent the day under the close watch of her family. Not that she noticed much. She tried to cram as much sleep as she could in the day, forcing her body to take as much of the needed rest as she could.

Around mid-afternoon she went for a short walk around the garden while the twins napped quietly in her room. Sola commented to her parents and husband how much at peace Padmé was, how some of the old Padmé seemed to be showing through. They agreed with her. Padmé really did seem calmer than she had in the entire time since she had arrived.

They didn't realize that the serenity came from resolution.

Padmé knew what she had to do. Her plans may have been delayed a day, but they would be carried through. All that having this extra time did was give her a sense of clarity that yes, she was right. This needed to be done. She could now iron out the creases in her plan. When night arrived, and the house was once again quiet, Padmé could leave. This time she may still be sore and bone-weary, but the rest had given her enough of her old edge that she would make it.

So it came, that when the house settled for the night, much later than Padmé – who had gone to bed earlier, claiming to be tired – and some time after Jobal had checked on her daughter – who feigned sleep – that she rose. Dressing once again in her simple clothing Padmé placed the twins, who stirred slightly at the sudden loss of warmth of each other, but settled calmly next to their mother in the sling that hung down her front, and slipped out the front door, closing it silently behind her.

Near the bottom of the path she retrieved her bag from its bush, shivering in disgust as she brushed several spindly insects off of it. She hoisted it on to her back, only groaning slightly at the ache of weight it produced. She was just grateful that Ryoo and Pooja, being far more fascinated with the two new additions to their family, had not come to play in this part of the garden today.

When Padmé reached the street she paused listening for sounds from the street or the house above, any sign that her departure had been noticed. Even now some small part of her hoped for discovery. However, it was just as well nothing stirred as, despite everything, Padmé had made up her mind and when Padmé made up her mind, there was no changing it back.

After a moment she sighed, a soft sound in the stillness, sent a prayer for the safety of her family and Naboo; then, without further thought, Padmé Amidala Skywalker and her two small children, Luke and Leia Skywalker, disappeared into the night.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

**A/N: **There. That's it. Well, for now. Tell me what you think. Please. I'll tell you now, I have no plans to make this any great P/A or P/V story, although it will at times have unrequited love aspects. I'm more interested in torturing my characters with angst. But you never know how things will turn out. **REVIEW**.

If you need something more to read – after you've finished this, of course ;o) – you can check out: _Sleight_ _of_ _Hand_ by kayladie. It's an AU regarding ESB with Mara, and it's an excellent read. :D


	2. Part One: Chapter One

**Email:** kazzy@whoever.com****

**Summary:** If every decision we make determines where we end up, what if instead of doing one thing, we do another? Obi-Wan and the Jedi never knew that Padmé was pregnant with Anakin's children. _"One day, I promise you will understand. I promise."_****

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Star Wars. No, really, I don't. However, if someone would like to bequeath it to me, I wouldn't object. ****

**Notes:**

Aurora Eos Rose – you brought up some nice overlooked bits, I've gone back and done some tweaking. And you're right, it is a pity they cut those scenes. Eridala – well if I saved you the trouble, please enjoy my versions of events. 

I can't find a decent beta for this fic, so at this point in time I appreciate any help you can give, so if you see a mistake please point it out. This probably isn't what some of you were expecting, but keep reading, the last ten years will be explained. Anyway, **please read and review. **

*****

Chapter One 

_"The future lies before you, like paths of pure white snow._

_Be careful how you tread it, for every step will show."  Source Unknown_

Ten years later:

Padmé had to admit that she was dreading the coming conversation. However, she kept the dread buried deep, as the two curious faces before her were entirely too perceptive, and would likely pick up on what she was feeling, interpret it, and figure out exactly what was going on. This would cause a fight before the conversation had even begun. Padmé wanted to have her say first, thank you very much. She had exactly what she wanted to say all worked out. She would be very convincing…this time.

The situation, when she could detach herself from it, always struck her as being slightly amusing every time it occurred: former Queen and Senator she had always had a way of convincing people to see her point of view. Except when it came to her children. It was, she often reflected – not without pain – a little like arguing with two Anakins. Her children were just as stubborn as their father had ever been.

Thinking of Luke and Leia as being Anakin's children always brought a wave of grief. Actually, thinking about Anakin in general was agonising. Why didn't he have the good grace to go and get himself killed by Palpatine like every other self-respecting Jedi in the force-cursed galaxy? But no, he had to—

She broke off her thoughts. For some reason they had been spiralling out of control today, and she really needed her wits about her to get through the next few minutes. It was going to be rough. It always was.

"Mom – what is it?" Luke's voice was tinged with concern and looking at both twins Padmé realized that both of them looked a little worried. About her, or about what she was going to say?

She took a deep breath, "Luke, Leia, we're moving—" 

Anything else she had intended to say was quickly drowned out by their protests.

"But mom…"

"…why? We're perfectly safe…"

"…I like it here…"

"…so do I, we have friends here…"

"…a real life."

_So much for carefully organised arguments_, Padmé thought ruefully. She should have known better. But then she should have known better than to stay anywhere for very long. The longer you stayed the harder it was to leave. Her children weren't the only ones who had formed friendships over the last few months. Padmé had no desire to leave here. Compared to some of the places they had lived over the last ten years this was paradise. A place they could be happy. Small, quiet and almost no Imperial presence.

However, that looked likely to change. While the rumours that she had heard in town this morning, of storm troopers headed this way, probably were only rumours, it paid to be cautious. That cautious meant leaving a place that had slowly and surely become home over the last eighteen months, could not be helped. It simply had to done. That this mirrored her actions ten years ago did not escape Padmé, she'd had to do this so many times. "We don't actually have a choice." She told her children, a note of ice creeping into her tone. "We can't let the Empire catch up with us." Better for them to be unhappy than dead, or worse – under the thumb of Vader and Palpatine.

"Why not?" 

"Yeah mom, why not? Why would the Empire be interested in us three?"

"It's not as though we're interesting or anything."

"You are so obsessed with safety."

"Paranoid."

That was another thing. She had never mentioned the Jedi to her children. Never told them anything about their father (not for want of their asking). They didn't even know his name.

"Why don't you _ever_ give us _any_ reasons, mom?" Luke asked. Although, it didn't really matter who said it this time. Both of them repeated variations on this particular question at regular intervals.

"Because you're safer not knowing." An answer that was rapidly becoming unacceptable.

"You _always_ say that. And it's not true. It _can't_ be," Leia challenged. If one thing in the galaxy could be counted on, it was that one twin would always back the other up. Oh, they might fight each other like nothing under any given sun, but against an external force – namely their mother – they were a united front. Impregnable.

Something she was tired of. She hated hiding as much as they did. Hiding from the Empire. From Darth Vader. From the galaxy in general. _From herself_…Arguing with these two did not make things easier, and Padmé's temper finally snapped.

"It's true enough – besides which you have no choice in the matter. I'm you're mother, you're ten years old, I'm not telling you and we're leaving." She set her jaw and glared at them with her best I'm-still-more-stubborn-than-you look. "Go to your room and pack whatever you want to take with you. Keep in mind that whatever it is you have to carry it. Luke, that means clothes this time. Now go. Both of you."

Luke pushed his chair back with a loud screech and stormed out of the room in childish temper. Leia glared at her mother in a way that could have rivalled Anakin, before silently following her brother.

Once they were in their shared room, Padmé let her head drop to her hands resting on the table. Why, oh, why, couldn't this be a simple matter where they all mutually decided it was best to move on? _Because_, said a snide voice at the back of her mind, _that would make things too easy_. Ignoring the voice she knew that the difficulty stemmed from the fact that her children didn't know about their true heritage, which had been a choice that she had made.

Padmé wasn't stupid. She knew enough about Jedi to know that know no training, was better than not enough. To understand some of their abilities, but not could lead them to the Dark Side. _Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering_ – where had she heard that? Anakin? Obi-Wan? Master Yoda? It didn't matter, the implication was clear; the knowledge could be a time bomb. There was telling what knowing about the Force and their father would do to Luke and Leia. If she couldn't understand what Anakin had done, how could they? They were still children. 

Her children. Her precious force-sensitive babies. Who were already too grown up. Too knowing. _Oh Force!_ It hurt so much that she had to raise her children this way, always running, always hiding. Fleeing at the first sign of Imperial Storm troopers. Staying on the often-dangerous outer rim worlds. Living amongst the scum of the galaxy. All she wanted was to live somewhere safe for her children, if her husband – Anakin Skywalker, not the monster Darth Vader – could be with them that would be paradise.

"Mom, we're sorry!" Leia's voice startled her from her thoughts. And she looked up to see them in the doorway, faces openly showing their pain. 

"We didn't mean to make you cry." Until Luke spoke, Padmé hadn't even been aware that she was crying. Of course, even if she hadn't been, they probably would have felt her pain anyway.

Wiping her face, Padmé held out her arms to her children, and they came gratefully to her burying themselves as best they could against her small frame. Seeking a comfort that only their mother could still provide. And they were crying too. Fighting with her in this way always upset them, as it did her.  They were good children really.

"Shh-hh, it's okay," she murmured, kissing each one on the forehead. Then she gently pushed them up, so she could see them both at them same time. "Now listen to me, all right? I know it's hard to understand, but you have to try, because this is important." She took a deep breath to steady herself, "There are many things you want to know: like why we have to keep moving, and why I don't want the Empire to catch up with us, and why I think they might want to, and yes, about your…your father. But please, _please_, as much as you want to ask, you have to know it's dangerous for you to know these things. There are people who would hurt you if you knew them."

"But mom, wouldn't they hurt you?" Leia asked. Luke nodded in agreement.

_They already have_.

She suppressed the thought and pursed her lips; it was a reasonable question, and not an accusation. "Quite probably, but I'm an adult. I can take care of myself. However, it is my job to take care of you, and this is how I'm going to do it. One day, when you're all grown up, and have children of your own, you'll understand. And, and, I promise I will tell you one day. Just not today, or for a while." She kept her voice firm and even, with no anger, or traces of bitterness.

They weren't happy with her responses but they were willing to accept them for now. "My beautiful babies," she said softly, laying her gentle hands on two cheeks, "One day, I promise you will understand. I promise. Now, go pack your bags."

They nodded, seemingly defeated. They still didn't want to leave, but they knew they had no choice. At the door, however, they stopped and turned as one.

"Mom-" 

"-can we just say goodbye?"

"Please?"

They had made a big concession for her today. She had to do something for them in return. "You have half an hour. A _standard_ hour-" she wasn't falling for _that_ one again, "-once you are packed. Then you can meet me at the _World Bouncer_ and we'll be on our way." 

_World Bouncer_ was the name of the small craft they used to move from one place to another. Padmé had saved for a long time to be able to purchase the ship about 3 ½ years ago. The twins had named her together, in honour of the fact that they always seemed to bounce from one world to another. Padmé had been relieved when she'd been able to give up using the public systems, and could move her small family about on her own terms. She had never been so glad for knowing how to fly. Of course, Luke and Leia had promptly learned and then regularly fought over who got to fly the damned thing, even if they struggled to reach some of the controls. Anakin had a lot to answer for. Ten-year-old pilots. She was sure this was why she had so many grey hairs.       

***

Just over an hour later, she met the slightly red-eyed children where the ship was berthed. As they slipped on board they seemed to be more subdued than usual, with no yelling over who got to take off, who got to land at their destination, and who got to put them into hyperspace. 

Leaving was fairly easy. Like many of the smaller outer rim worlds there was little in the way of officials checking up on the comings and goings of people. There were few restrictions on when and where you could enter hyperspace. And no great amount of traffic. It was a tiny, out of the way place, that nobody really noticed. Padmé piloted the ship off the surface and up, then began a slow drift out, as if being overly cautious in waiting for a safe distance to enter hyperspace.

"Alright, you two," she said, to her children, "Where to?" Both shrugged moodily, unwilling to answer, uninterested in the destination, attention still focused on where they had just left. So Padmé was left to ponder the options. There were plenty of outer rim systems that they had never been to, but while many were left alone by the Empire, as they were too difficult to control, or too under-populated to matter, there were many where the presence of the Empire was too strong to be safe.

Safe. Now, there was a word that should not be used to describe most of the worlds they had lived on. Many of them had been dangerous, and not exactly a spot you set up house on. Or used for planning your next vacation. Smugglers, pirates, Hutts and bounty hunters weren't usually the sort of people you wanted as neighbours. But, unlike the Empire, they had no prior complaint with Padmé Skywalker. The thought brought back a fragment of memory from a long time ago. A time when a young queen posed as her own handmaiden and two Jedi offered the dubious protection of the Hutt-ruled planet of Tatooine.

***

Captain Panaka was not convinced. "You can't take her Highness there! The Hutts are gangsters and slavers! If they discovered who she was—"

"It would be no different than if we landed on a planet in a system controlled by the Trade Federation," Qui-Gon interrupted, "except the Hutts aren't looking for the Queen, which gives us an advantage."

***

More than two decades after his death, Qui-Gon's advice held true. Without really thinking about it she had followed this advice for most of the twins life. She could have disappeared into the depths of Coruscant, spent the time among the lost and disenfranchised that lived there. However, what if Vader or the Emperor were to pick up a trace of the twins power? Out here she was so far from Vader's usual haunts that she mostly need to only worry about the Hutts and the like.

Now, Tatooine? Back to the beginning? The place would be as rough as any place they had ever been, but the three of them wouldn't have gotten this far in life if they hadn't been tough. What's more, Padmé was no longer the young Queen only beginning to fully understand the state of the galaxy that surrounded her. She knew what the state of the galaxy was. The sad thing was that her children also knew the state of the galaxy, even if they weren't quite old enough to completely understand.

Tatooine had no use for the Empire, and if no-one would care if something happened to any of them there, then no-one would care to notice them for anything else either. 

One last benefit: you could pretty much guarantee that Darth Vader would stay as far as he could from the planet. Some things never change. Anakin might be all but dead and buried, but the lasting hatred of the place where he spent the first ten years of his life, the place his mother died, undoubtedly remained. 

There were, of course, a few downsides to her choice of destination, even if you excused your neighbours. Tatooine was almost unbearably hot, but that was a minor complaint. The other reasons were far more painful and personal. Tatooine would have many memories just waiting to leap on the former queen and senator. Memories of the small boy she met, of the grieving young man that she started to love, of the man she had married. However, there was no reason why she had to go somewhere that she had been with Anakin. The last reason she could discount: it didn't matter. Or that what she tried to tell herself.

Tatooine was, relatively speaking, close to Naboo. Which, come to think of it, had been another reason for going there all those years ago. It would be so very easy, just to go there. To check on her family. She had no idea if they were all right. For all she knew they could have been killed to find her, or they could be fine but wondering about her and the twins. Ten years was such a long time, and she had never told them she would go, never told them where. However, as painful as it was, they were safer if she never went back to Naboo. Like many things in the life of the Skywalkers that was just the way it had to be.  

Once in hyperspace she went to find her children, who had moved off at some point. They had been so quiet the whole time that she was worrying. Quiet never meant good. Quiet usually meant that they had managed to dismantle something and not quite put it back together again.

As it turned out, she needn't have worried. She found them curled up together on Luke's bed, fast asleep, tear tracks down their cheeks. Tucking the blankets tighter under their chins, Padmé once again fought her own tears; they only slept like this when they were deeply unhappy about something, and, to Padmé's knowledge, they hadn't done so in over a year. As very young children they had often slept in such a manner, which probably had something to do with the fact that they had only ever had each other and there mother to depend on; they could give each other a security that no-one else could hope to. But had been so long, she had thought they'd grown out of the habit.

Sighing softly, she kissed each one on the forehead, shifted the blankets once more, and turned to leave the cabin.

"Mom?" A pair of soft brown eyes regarded her sombrely from the bed, the blue ones remained shut.

"Yes, Leia?" Not wanting to disturb Luke's rest she kept her tone soft.

"Where're we going?" Leia's voice was sleepy and thick. Not entirely awake.

"To Tatooine, a small planet in the Arkanis sector. It's very hot there, and dangerous, so you and Luke are going to have to be very careful."

"You too." They seemed determined that she was in as much danger as they were.

"Me too. Now get some sleep."

"Mmm. 'Night, mom. Love you."

"Goodnight dearest, I love you." Padmé stayed a moment or two to make sure Leia drifted back off to sleep before heading to get some sleep herself. She'd need her strength for what was to come.

Tatooine – was she crazy?

*****

**A/N: **Okay a little more action next chapter, due to the presence of a guest star. No, not Vader – Obi-Wan! I don't think Vader will be in the next chapter; he's busy until later chapters. 


	3. Part One: Chapter Two

**Summary:** If every decision we make determines where we end up, what if instead of doing one thing, we do another? Obi-Wan and the Jedi never knew that Padmé was pregnant with Anakin's children. _"Luke Skywalker was beginning to wish he'd worn something else."****_

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Star Wars. No, really, I don't. However, if someone would like to bequeath it to me, I wouldn't object. ****

**Notes:**

Renee – You rock! Thanks for all the reviews. Just so you know I'll be posting chapters about once a week, I'm doing it this way so when I start classes again in Feb. I won't drop way off. Oh, and if you're waiting for Vader you're going to be waiting a while, but he will turn up eventually.  Aurora Eos Rose – Thanks for reading the rewrite, and I'm glad you approve :). Also, re: the twins' force-abilities, well I've had this chapter planned for a while. 

To everyone else, thanks for the reviews, they make my day. For anyone else: **read and review** (you know you want to).

*****

Chapter Two "Facts do not cease to exist because you ignore them." Aldous Huxley 

Luke Skywalker was beginning to wish he'd worn something else. The twin suns beat down on him, almost unbearably hot, the dust that seemed to be constantly present in the air had lodged itself in his mouth, nose, eyes, ears, clothes, and just about every surface it could. The strange and dangerous looking people watched him with shuttered eyes, sometimes giving off impressions that he would rather not know.

He was lost, but that didn't bother him more than a little. All he needed to do was reach out for his sister and follow her presence home. Both of them had used the trick from time to time, although their mother didn't like that they did. However, as she refused to give a reason other than the typical 'It's dangerous' neither twin had seen any point in not using the ability. 

Thinking of his mother made Luke wince: she was going to kill him when he got home. She'd left to find them some food, telling Luke and Leia to stay in the small apartment that they had rented. Leia was still there, but Luke had gone to explore. Of course, Luke would have stayed as well, but Leia had _dared_ him to go off, and he could hardly refuse that, now could he? Unfortunately, his mom probably wouldn't see it that way.

The only thing to do was head back. Briefly reaching out for his sister to make sure he was heading in the right direction, Luke turned and prepared to make the journey back through the hot, dusty and hostile streets.

Leia was worried and irritated. Their mother had returned earlier than they'd expected and was now angry. Locking on to the direction Luke hurried. He was in so much trouble. 

So wrapped up in where he was going and what was likely to happen when he got there, Luke didn't notice three figures detach themselves from a shadowy doorway to follow what they perceived to be easy pickings.

***

Padmé was furious. Enraged. Incensed. Irate. Scared witless. Right now the only thing preventing her from flying into a fit, and tearing her hair out was Leia's apparent calm. If anything had happened to Luke, you could count on the fact that Leia would be upset, and visa versa should the situation be reversed. Putting as much of her maternal fear out of the way as she could, Padmé concentrated on her anger. When she got her hands on that boy she was going to tan his hide until he couldn't sit down for a month, then she was going to ground him for the rest of life: he'd never see the light of day again.

Never mind that she rarely punished her children, and had never ever touched either in violence.

Leia was watching her, large brown eyes almost completely unreadable, apart from a small measure of expectancy. The girl would make an excellent politician. Padmé sighed, "All right, where did he go?" This was not something she liked doing. She had stopped the twins from using their force-sense often enough; it seemed very hypocritical to use it now. However, desperate times call for desperate measures.

"That way." Leia lifted a slender hand and pointed down one street that was exactly the same as all the others. Dusty. Still, neither twin had ever been able to 'lose' the other, so Padmé trusted the girl's force-enhanced instincts and set off towards her son's apparent location, her daughter trotting by her side.

A tug on her sleeve pulled her attention to her daughter, "Mom? I think something's wrong." Padmé turned to Leia, whose eyes were now wide, and her face a little pale. A jolt of concern shot through Padmé, her fear surfacing and beginning to take over everything else. This was not a good place for Luke to get into trouble.

_We shouldn't have come here_.

Leia might make a good politician, but Padmé had been one of the best; letting nothing show she held her hand out to her daughter while checking the blaster at her side, "Well, we'd better hurry then, hadn't we?"    

_We shouldn't have come here_.

***

Luke's step hurried as he began to sense the danger following him, and it, too, picked up its pace, determined to have its quarry. Turning abruptly in an attempt to throw off his unwanted companions he found himself in a blind alley, the only exit now blocked by those behind him.

Facing them, as bravely as a ten-year-old boy could, he reached for the small knife that he had appropriated from his mothers belongings and hidden in his pocket. The knife probably wouldn't do much good against the three – an orange skinned twi'lek and two adult human males – but it was better than nothing. Both he and Leia could use a blaster, but their mother wouldn't let them carry them, saying that it would just encourage others to shoot them, and that any weapon they had could be used against them. Right now, however, Luke would have gladly faced his mother's anger – he was in heaps of trouble anyway – just to have one with him. 

He took a step back as one of the humans stepped forward smiling in a way that chilled the small boy's blood. "Well boys, what do we have here? Merchandise for the slave markets in Mos Espa, maybe? I bet he'll fetch a fine price." He spoke with a thick accent that Luke didn't recognise and his words were slightly slurred, possibly from too much to drink. His eyes were slightly red-rimmed, from what Luke identified as being a lesser quality spice, something the boy had seen a lot of in his life led at the edge of respectable society. 

As the other two thugs exchanged grins and moved to support their leader, Luke took another step back, bumping gently into the rough stone wall behind him. Trapped.

Even if they were drunk or on spice there was no way he could easily escape them. Pressing himself as hard as he could against the wall, Luke allowed himself a desperate call, _"Leia!"_

***

Leia suddenly took off at a run. Hand still tightly gripping her daughter's Padmé was dragged along as the girl weaved expertly through the streets.

"Luke!" 

***

_Note to self, _Obi-Wan thought as trudged through the streets of Mos Eisley looking for some decent fresh food, _next time your extremely powerful Jedi Padawan goes AWOL and becomes a Sith Lord who destroys the entire Jedi order, do not, under any circumstances, decide that his hot, dusty and isolated ex-home planet would be a good place to live. It isn't. It's—_

His internal tirade was interrupted by a terrified mental call from nearby, which was quickly followed by a second call, equally afraid. Somewhere, nearby, there were two powerful force-sensitive people. Untrained, he would bet, but powerful nonetheless. And they needed help.

Taking a moment to gauge the direction, and finding it across the street in a small, dark alley, he ran, reaching for his lightsabre as he did so. There he found three thugs surrounding a small boy, who seemed oddly familiar. Two of the thugs had the child in their grasp and he struggled against them, but despite some obvious training in defence he was no match for their greater strength. The third thug lifted a heavy, blunt object that resembled nothing so much as a club.

Moving swiftly, Obi-Wan raised his lightsabre, ignited it, and, with a clean, practiced swipe, removed the man's hand at the wrist. The club clattered to the ground, hand still gripping it. The now-previous owner of the hand fell back with a scream, holding his arm, numb shock rapidly clouding his eyes.

Thugs number one and two looked on in horror. The boy's mouth was wide open, but he had the sense to pull himself from the now limp grasps of his captors. Obi-Wan disregarded him for a moment, having more important things to focus on. He pointed the tip of the glowing blade at the two standing men, while keeping an eye on their fallen companion "Go." Not even bothering to help their injured friend, the two took off as fast as they could. "You too." Obi-Wan indicated the exit to the alley with his lightsabre and the third man stumbled out after the others. He probably would not get far before collapsing in shock.

Safety taught that in order to keep his secret he should have killed all three, but that was a little too cold-blooded for Obi-Wan who, at the heart of it all, was a Jedi Knight and always would be. He had protected the boy and as they made no further attempts at either the boy or himself he was obliged to let them go. Taking them to the authorities would serve no more purpose than to give them reason to start yelling about lightsabres and Jedi. He shut his blade off as the last one stumbled completely out of sight.

Finally, Obi-wan took the opportunity to look at the boy, and the thing that kept pulling at his memory tugged harder. Small, blond-haired, blue eyes, it was easy to see why the slavers had gone after him. Attractive and healthy he would achieve a good price on the markets.

"Wh-who are y-you?" The kid asked, not entirely reassured by his apparent rescuer's appearance. "Wh-what did you do?"

Obi-Wan looked closer at the force-sensitive child who was beginning to look more and more familiar. Without warning it came to him and Tatooine briefly stopped spinning on its axis.

***

_"Anakin Skywalker, meet Obi-Wan Kenobi."_

_The boy beamed. "Please to meet you. Wow! You're a Jedi Knight, too, aren't you?"_

***

The young boy regarded him with a good deal more suspicion than Anakin had, but the similarities were there. Age, height, eye colour, skin tone, force-sensitivity…

"You know, if you try and sell me, my mom will be very angry." The world started up again, and Obi-Wan looked up to meet the boy's eyes again, taking in as he did so, the differences between this boy and the child Anakin had been. Despite the slight sunburn, the boy showed no sign of the tan that would indicate a long period spent on Tatooine. His clothes were ill designed for the climate, being too heavy for the heat, without offering adequate protection from the suns; he had, in all likelihood, only been on the planet for a short time. His frame was slighter than even Anakin's had been, his cheekbones higher, face less rounded and his nature far more suspicious. Sometime during Obi-Wan's reflection he had retrieved a small, sharp knife from the ground; he held it with confidence, though was probably aware how ineffective it would be against a lightsabre.

"Hey! Mister! Did you hear me? Or can't you speak basic?"  

Shaking himself slightly Obi-Wan took a deep breath, in an attempt to gain some focus, some Jedi calm. The boy hadn't taken the opportunity to run off, and Obi-Wan was very curious about from where such a powerful child had appeared. _And what about the other one?_ He reminded himself. The other presence he had felt, where was that?

"I can both hear you and speak basic, my young friend, but I don't intend to sell you to anyone. I think I might just take you home to your mom."

"Good, 'cause you don't know my mom and she can get real mad sometimes. Who are you, and what was that light-blade thing? Why did you stop them anyway, I mean it isn't your problem?" The boy kicked the hand lying on the ground and made a face. "I've never seen anything like that before."

Obi-Wan chuckled slightly at the torrent of questions, "How about if you can show me the way to your home and tell me your name, then I might answer your questions."

The boy frowned, curiosity warred with caution as he decided whether to give Obi-Wan his name or not, he took a deep breath, opened his mouth and replied, "I'm Luke. What's your name?" Eyes narrowed slightly, Luke waited.

"I'm Obi-Wan. It's a pleasure to meet you young Luke, but shall we go on our way? I'm sure your mom's getting worried by now."

"And mad." Obi-Wan nodded as Luke tucked his knife away, then they both turned and exited the alley, leaving the hand still wrapped around the club behind.

The alley had been somewhat protected from the hot sun, but once out on the main street the heat hit them both full force and they took a moment to adjust. Just then someone yelled, "LUKE!"

A slender woman and a young girl, about Luke's age, came running up. The woman, apparently his mother, grabbed him, shook him and said fiercely, "Stars, Luke! What were you thinking?! I specifically told you to stay put! Don't you know how dangerous it is out here?" She pulled him into a tight hug, "I was so worried. Anything could have happened to you. Then where would Leia and I be?"

"I'm all right mom, really, he saved me!" Luke pointed to Obi-Wan, and the group's focus turned to the boy's rescuer.

Obi-Wan was in the process of realising several things, one, here was the second force-sensitive child, two, he did, in fact, know the boy's mother and three, why Luke was so familiar. He met the woman's eyes, "Hello Padmé."

She straightened, arms still around Luke and met Obi-Wan's gaze solidly, but with a slight sadness. When she spoke her tone was more resigned than surprised, "Obi-Wan, it's been a long time."

*****

**A/N: **There is at least two more chapters in Part One. After that I intend to be very typical and jump straight to the "A New Hope" time line. With some big changes (of course). Anyway, give me a review. :o) I may even have a sequel planned, but I'll have to see if I can work it out.


	4. Part One: Chapter Three

**Summary:** If every decision we make determines where we end up, what if instead of doing one thing, we do another? Obi-Wan and the Jedi never knew that Padmé was pregnant with Anakin's children. _"Don't say it!" She hissed. "Don't even think it."_****

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Star Wars. No, really, I don't. However, if someone would like to bequeath it to me, I wouldn't object. ****

**Notes:** Thanks for the reviews everyone. However, I would like to point out that if you do find any mistakes, or anything not quite right, please let me know. I want to know so I can improve on my writing. Thanks.

Read and review (you know you want to).

*****

Chapter Three "Fate leads along the willing, and drags along the reluctant." Secea 

Both children stared in wonder at the confrontation between their mother and Obi-Wan. They could not remember ever meeting anyone that had known their mother but that they did not know.

Padmé was wondering whether to snatch her children and run as far and as fast as she could, or whether to bow to the inevitable, acknowledging that she couldn't hide forever. She was desperately trying to process the shock that she couldn't let show. What was going to happen now?

Obi-Wan, too, was trying to deal with the implications of what stood in front of him. He couldn't doubt who the father of these children was, anymore than he could doubt who their mother was. The reason Luke had reminded him so forcefully of Anakin was that he was Anakin's son.

"Hey, Mom, who's that?" For a moment Obi-Wan thought it was Luke that had spoken, as the intonation pattern was very similar, but the question had come from Leia, the one most in the dark about the man who stood before her.

Padmé lifted one of her hands off Luke's shoulder and wrapped it around Leia's so that she was standing in between the two, making Obi-Wan even more aware of their parentage. "Children," she said softly, "this is Obi-Wan Kenobi, someone I knew a long time ago – before you were born. Obi-Wan, I'd like you to meet my children, Luke and Leia—" the pause was almost imperceptible— "Skywalker."

"I'm pleased to meet you both." He smiled at them, but both were staring at him in undisguised fascination and awe, too surprised to answer. So he turned to their mother, "It _has_ been a long time Padmé, and I have to say that this would be one of the last places I even expected to see you."

"With some of the last people, I'll bet," Obi-Wan indicated his agreement, "I take it that you're here for the same reasons we are?" She sighed, not needing to wait for his response. "Maybe we should all go somewhere to talk."

"If you know somewhere, m'Lady, I'll gladly come with you."

"This way." She said turning and directing him back the way she had come with Leia. The twins followed behind, seemingly still stunned that they had met someone who had known their mother before they were born.

As they walked along the street, Obi-Wan watched Padmé out of the corner of his eye. She had aged beyond what she should have in the decade since he had known her. There was more grey in her hair, and more lines on her face than he would have expected; a product, he suspected, from trying to hide herself and her force-sensitive children from the Empire; the stress of always looking over her shoulder, constantly watching for storm troopers. However, she was still as beautiful as she had ever been, still held herself with the unconscious grace she'd had as both queen and senator, and he was sure her mind was as sharp as it'd ever been. Underneath it all she was undoubtedly the same woman who Anakin had fallen in love with.

Who Anakin had married.

And, apparently, who Anakin'd had two children with.

_What, in the force, is going to happen now?_

***

Leia, had she been willing to admit it, was feeling more than a little guilty. A few minutes ago, before she and her mother had arrived, Luke had been frightened about something. She wasn't quite sure what (she'd need to pound the details out her brother later), but Luke had been very scared, and her brother didn't get scared about much, so it'd have to be a big thing. Also, there had been that man with no hand walking down the street clutching his wrist looking dazed – something told Leia that he was something to do with why Luke had been scared. Right at the bottom of all Leia's confusion about the facts of What Had Happened remained one tiny piece of knowledge: Leia had dared Luke to go out to explore the streets, knowing perfectly well her brother would not turn down the dare.

Feeling guilty made Leia grumpy and inclined to dump her guilt on the nearest target – her brother. "You are in so much trouble!" She hissed.

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not! Besides, it's all your fault!"

"Is not!"

"Is t—"

"Luke! Leia! That's enough! You're not three anymore, you are, as you keep reminding me, ten-years-old, please act like it!" Both jumped slightly at their mother's interruption, and looked away guiltily from Obi-Wan's curious gaze. They fell silent but glared at each other, threatening to turn the other in with their eyes.

Caught up in their own battle, neither noticed the strange tension between the two adults.

***

Padmé, however, noticed the tension. It sung in the air between her and Obi-Wan, reminding her of the chain of events begun more than ten years before. How the marriage between her and Anakin had been discovered, and the tumult that had resulted. Followed by Anakin's subsequent disappearance, leaving her to face the music with the Jedi council. When her husband had returned it was to attempt to kill Obi-Wan, only to end up falling in a lava pit himself, and emerge as the monster currently known as Darth Vader.

In the midst of it all, Padmé had discovered she was pregnant. Afraid, and completely at a loss of what to do, she had stayed on Alderaan for a while with her friend Bail Organa. When she had begun to show she'd returned to her childhood home, to an understandably surprised family. She had not seen Obi-Wan since just after Anakin had been brought in, charred and somehow still alive. The Jedi had been riddled with guilt over what had happened and grief-stricken over his former Padawan's defection. Padmé had not blamed Obi-Wan for his actions, though: Anakin had made his own choices, only he could take responsibility for them.    

By the looks of her husband's old master he had achieved a measure of peace over the events from so long ago. And she was glad. She only hoped he didn't blame her too much for her own part in what had happened.

She knew he was watching her and she wondered what he saw. She knew she didn't much resemble the young queen that he had helped save, or the senator who had fallen in love with Anakin. Unconsciously, she straitened her already rigid posture, lifted a hand to swipe at her damp forehead and smooth her slightly-less-than-perfect hair style, praying that she looked better than the tired old woman she was sure she resembled.

She was interrupted from her worries by Luke, "Hey Mom! Where're you going?" She stopped short realizing that she'd just walked past the entrance to the small apartment she had rented for herself and her children. Belatedly, she wondered if she had been right to bring Obi-Wan here or whether it gave him too much power over her. As it was too late to do anything about it, she motioned Obi-Wan ahead of her and the twins, up a narrow stairwell, to their current home.

He paused and glanced over at her; smiling softly he reached out to touch her hand as if to reassure her that she could trust him. For a moment she was angry, believing he had read her thoughts, sensed what she was feeling, but then she realised that, while outwardly her face might show no sign of her emotions, the brief hesitation, and indeed the obvious effect of the last ten years would have made her mistrust all to easy to expect.

Inside, on the small table, the groceries lay where she had dumped them after discovering that Luke had disappeared. The apartment had a main living room, two small bedrooms and a 'fresher. Nothing fancy, but the Skywalker family had lived in worse. It was clean, came with furniture and that was all they needed.

Unsure what to do with Obi-Wan, what to say to him now she had him here to talk to, Padmé turned towards her children who were not actually all that much easier to deal with. Luke looked abashed, his eyes downcast and he bit his lip. His mother rarely punished him, but he knew he'd pushed the bounds today and was waiting for his sentence. Leia, on the other hand, looked up, but at the same time steadfastly refused to meet her mother's eyes; her shoulders were squared defiantly, but Padmé could read the guilt – so the girl had played her own part in today's occurrences.

The mother was glad she'd taught her children to cook a true meal, "Luke you are to prepare the evening meal for the next week," he nodded meekly, accepting the punishment, he knew he deserved it, but his mother wasn't finished, "also next time we need to use the _World Bouncer_, you will not pilot her." This time he looked up in shock – a cruel punishment indeed, but Padmé wanted to bang home the severity of his actions. The streets of Tatooine were extremely dangerous; he could not afford to just go off exploring.

"But Mom!" His eye were wide, trying to quickly come up with something, anything that would change his punishment. "You…"

"No buts Luke. I told you not to go outside, while I was gone and you deliberately disobeyed me." Luke fell silent, but shot an angry look at his sister, whose guilt and defiance became even more apparent. Had Padmé any remaining doubts about her daughter's involvement in today's trouble, this would have cleared them. "Leia, you may help him with the meals." When she opened her mouth to protest, Padmé held up a hand, "Don't even try it. I know you played some part in this. Now get to, or else we'll eat late." Grumbling and glaring at each other they started rummaging through the bags. Long practise had taught the twins that arguing with their mother when she was truly angry, like this, was futile.

Now that her children were otherwise occupied, Padmé had nothing to do but turn to her guest. She still had no idea what to say to him. Where to start, or even if there truly was anything she could say. But Obi-Wan's first words surprised her. "He can fly?"

"They both fly very well – even if they struggle to reach some of the controls. They didn't need much help learning, either." Surprised, he turned to look at the twins who were straining their ears to catch every soft word that the adults spoke. Padmé had no doubt that Obi-Wan was wondering what exactly else they'd inherited from their father. She wasn't going to tell him nor could she risk them overhearing about it. _I am not losing my children to the Force!_  

However, her husband's old master was unaware of her internal declaration, and he very nearly ruined everything by bringing up the very topic she didn't want him to. "Understandable, they're very strong in—"

"Don't say it!" She hissed. "Don't even think it." Obi-Wan broke off, startled at her sudden vehemence. At the counter on the other side of the room, two pairs of hands stilled.  The silence lengthened, and the present tension thickened until Padmé was almost fighting to breathe. But she didn't say anything; again she was trapped with nothing to say. 

Between her an Obi-Wan stretched the knowledge of whose children the twins were, and what they could be ultimately capable of. She wouldn't – couldn't – talk about it now, and so there was very little else they could talk about. At the same time, she needed to tell some one, to pour out the last ten years. She'd had precious few friends since leaving Naboo after the twin's birth, and none she could confide her story in. The room stood frozen, and she did not know what to do.

***

To a certain extent, Obi-Wan could guess why Padmé had forestalled him. The words he had been about to utter were dangerous. They could get all four of them killed, if anyone were to find out. But something in Padmé's tone and the twins reactions told him, that the danger was not as simple as a Jedi headhunt. Something here was wrong.

Earlier in the day when he had saved Luke's life the boy hadn't known what a lightsabre was. Even the young slave-boy Anakin had known what one was and who used them. His own name, Obi-Wan Kenobi, rang no bells with either child, despite the part he'd played in their father's life and downfall. Padmé did not want him to say the words 'force sensitive', but there was no one here to hear them. No one, that is, except a set of twins, who were most assuredly force sensitive.

The realisation struck him, and he looked directly at the tired eyes of the former queen and senator, taking a brief note of the pain and desperation there, "They don't know do they?" 

She sunk into the couch beside her, "No." She whispered. "Nothing." She glanced over at Luke and Leia who had abandoned their work and were now watching the two adults with concern and curiosity, questions clearly burning in their mouths. Seeing the two seemed to give her some strength, "Back to work! Both of you. No, Leia you can't ask anything. I've told you why."

So this was an old argument. Obi-Wan was wiling to bet both children were bright and inquisitive and would have many queries about their father and where they came from and why they lived the life they did. It would seem Padmé gave them no answers and had no intention of giving them any. She always had been far too stubborn.

There was a brief flash of memory, where a young woman stood glaring at a room filled with Jedi Masters. Showing them only the strong, brave face that she always gave the senate. She did not bothering to justify or apologise, to them, for her actions where her husband was concerned. She had loved him and she wanted him back. 

Thinking back, Obi-Wan realised that she would have been pregnant, and quite possibly aware of this fact. Yet showed no sign of weakness, nor begged for their aid. He still remembered her face as he had brought the damaged body of Anakin back. The guilt and the anguish. When it came apparent that his soul was in worse shape than his body, she had disappeared.

Nearly a year later, amidst the slaughter, he had managed to pick up her trail on Alderaan, and follow it to her home on Naboo. He had kicked himself for not realising that was where she would go. Home to somewhere where she could feel safe and protected. Her parents and sister had not mentioned the children and he suspected now they had been under strict instructions not to. 

They had seemed to honestly believe that Anakin was dead, and Obi-Wan thought it probably better not to enlighten them; the knowledge would hurt the family further. Considering what he now knew of the twins he was doubly glad he hadn't told them – it was horrible knowledge. By pressing he discovered Padmé had disappeared just days prior to Imperial presence on Naboo. At the time he'd thought she was trying to protect her loved ones, by not being around to draw attention to herself. Now he realised he hadn't known the half of it. She had not only sought to protect her family from Vader and the Empire, but her children as well.

After leaving Naboo he had tried for another two years to find the wife of his ex-apprentice. Thinking she may have joined the first stirrings of rebellion he had looked for her there. Needless to say, she had not been, and he was attracting too much attention to the tiny bands of rebels, so looking for a place to hide he had gone to Tatooine knowing it was the one place that he could conceivably expect Darth Vader to _not_ look for him. He'd lived for around eight years on this hot, dusty, force-cursed excuse for a planet.

As if hearing his thoughts, she spoke up, "So tell me, Master Kenobi, what made you choose here, Tatooine, for your home?" She drew out the honorific slightly, sending the barb home, she knew as well as he did that it held no sway in this time and this place.

"It's just Obi-Wan, m'Lady, out here I'm no more a Master than you are…a queen." Her furious expression told him his own slur had hit. He felt at once guilty, she didn't deserve his frustration at his failures, and if he wasn't careful the tension that sat between them like a wall could easily provoke them into a fight. Obi-Wan didn't want to know what would surface in a fight between them; eleven years ago after Anakin had turned there had been many unresolved issues between – all of which had more than a decade to fester. Right now all the past pain could explode in their faces causing one hell of a mess. He knew there were things that would come out that Padmé didn't want Luke and Leia to know, and if he were honest he didn't want them to know many of these things either. 

He sighed, and offered what amounted to a truce, "I decided to come out here because there is very little Imperial presence; Jabba the Hutt still rules this place, and the Emperor has never seen fit to challenge that. I suspect he doesn't see the point, Jabba finds the Empire useful, and doesn't offer a threat to it, so rather than waste troops trying to subdue out here, Palpatine leaves the gangsters be. Besides, if there was a problem he could always convince one of the other lowlifes around here that killing Jabba would be beneficial to them. Isn't that about the same reason you have for being out here?" That sounded reasonable. No need to go into the real reason.

She nodded apparently accepting his truce. Obviously trying to keep from talking about topics that would include Anakin and the Jedi, or at least talking about them directly, she asked, "Did you know that Owen and Beru Lars, lived near here?"

"I do, but they keep their distance from me."

***

The conversation between their mother and Obi-Wan had turned deceptively mild, and the twins, now united by their frustration, listened just as hard as they possibly could. They drew in everything that was said, even if it meant nothing to them, as it concerned people and events that they knew nothing about, meaning it was probably important. However when you're ten, adult conversation, if you can't connect it to anything that directly concerns you, becomes rapidly boring.

Glancing over at Luke, Leia finally capitulated, and tapping her brother on the arm she mouthed, '_I'm sorry._' He nodded accepting her apology, then rolled his eyes over her shoulder towards the mystifying adults, and she nodded agreeing with his assessment that all adults, including their mother, were strange. They exchanged a glance knowing they would trying and talk to this new stranger later and get him to tell them everything.

***

Later that evening, after their mother had put them to bed, Leia turned to her brother in the bed across from her. "Luke, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for Mom to not let you fly _World Bouncer_."

He narrowed his eyes slightly and while she felt some anger from him, there wasn't too much, "S'Okay, Leia. Mom's right it was a dumb thing to do."

She shook her head. "Can't believe you actually did it."

He shrugged causing his covers to jump up and down. "It was kinda cool at first, but there was lots of scary people out there. And some of them…" He trailed off and Leia felt some fear from her brother.

"What happened Luke? You were really scared!"

"Not that scared!" He answered in protest, but then in a slightly trembling voice he told her.

He'd kept his fear from the adults, pretended to be brave so they, especially their mom (and Luke and Leia were always trying to protect their mom, even though she was a grown up), would not worry too much. He didn't hide it from his sister, though – he didn't bother trying – because they couldn't disguise stuff like that from each other for very long.

When he got to the part where the slaver had been about to knock him out Leia, pretty scared herself, reached out her hand and gripped the answering one from the other bed. 

After he finished he was so quiet for so long that if he hadn't still been holding her hand really tightly Leia would have thought he was asleep. Then he spoke up, "Leia?" he murmured a little sleepily.

"Mhm," she mumbled, a little surprised to find herself sleepy, too.

"Do you reckon Obi-Wan knew our dad?"

"Probably. He knew our mom before we were born. Or at least when we were babies. I think before because he seemed surprised to meet us"

"Maybe we should ask him."

Leia was rapidly getting too tired to think about it much any more, no matter how interesting it could be, and she knew that Luke was probably as sleepy as she was, so she just replied, "Yeah, but Mom would never let him tell."

"If we asked while she was asleep she wouldn't know."

"Maybe." Leia's eyelids were definitely too heavy now, she let them drift shut.

As he watched his sister go to sleep and just before he went to sleep himself Luke left himself with strong instructions to wake up in the middle of the night.

*****

**Notes: **Yeah, I know, not much happens, but next chapter I really will do the Obi-Wan/Padmé confrontation.


	5. Part One: Chapter Four

**Summary:** If every decision we make determines where we end up, what if instead of doing one thing, we do another? Obi-Wan and the Jedi never knew that Padmé was pregnant with Anakin's children. _On second thoughts, that was not exactly the best way to start this particular conversation._****

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Star Wars. No, really, I don't. However, if someone would like to bequeath it to me, I wouldn't object. ****

**Notes:** le – no, I don't have any immediate plans to make this Obidala, and I can't see it happening at this point, there is no promises that I won't touch on it. If it does it probably won't be anything huge. I won't make promises, tho' as they'll probably be wrong.

Sorry this took so long! I got a bit a head as I start uni next week and I wanted to have at least some rough outlines so I didn't get to bogged down and then I realised I had to go back and change a few things so everything fit. _Minor changes to chapter three_.

Read and review (you know you want to). Have I mentioned that I love writing Angst? It's so much fun. Now, what does that say about me?

***

Chapter Four 

****

"Man…cannot learn to forget, but hangs on to the past: however far or fast he run that chain runs with him." Friedrich Nietzsche

Obi-Wan lay on the narrow couch trying to get comfortable. He supposed it was better than trying to find somewhere safe to spend the night in Mos Eisley, and, as he'd noticed before, at least this place was clean.  By the time they'd finished the evening meal – where everyone had studiously managed to not talk about what was hanging over them – it had been too late for him to venture back to his own home out in the desert, so Padmé had offered him the use of the couch.

She'd sent the twins to bed with a kiss each and an 'I love you', they'd hugged her tightly back, while Obi-Wan watched, amazed at the love in this small family. Once the twins were asleep, however, they'd both known that the conversation could not be put off any longer, but as before, neither had known where to start, and once they had…Obi-wan winced as he remembered what had been said between the two. They'd apologised of course, but there was still a lot of pain there. He ran silently over what had been said, trying to find some peace of mind.

***

"Does he know?" On second thoughts, that was not exactly the best way to start this particular conversation. But they had to begin somewhere, and really the whole Anakin issue needed to be addressed.

Padmé had looked at him startled and he'd been given a glimpse of the tremendous amount of pain she was carrying around with her, "You mean about them? No. I never had the chance to tell him. It wasn't until after he…he disappeared that I discovered I was pregnant, and when…when you brought him back, there wasn't really the opportunity. Now? Well…" She didn't finish – she didn't need to – he understood; telling Darth Vader would likely get them killed. At the very least. 

Before he'd had the chance to say anything though, she'd carried on, "I know they're force sensitive, Obi-Wan. I've always known. How could they not be?" She added in a whisper, her eyes filled with tears, and it occurred to Obi-Wan that he was probably the first person she'd talked about this with in ten years. She rolled her eyes back in an effort to stop the tears and took in several deep breaths, fighting to bring her emotions under control. In a moment she could continue again, "Even before they were born they were so sensitive. That hasn't changed. How do you think I found Luke today? I simply asked Leia to show me where he was."

He shook his head, stunned, at the revelation, but she wasn't finished, her telling of the story might come out halting, but she seemed to need to tell it to someone, "I've never told them about the Jedi, or about _him_, or about anything. I've been so afraid that I might lose them. I want to tell them – they deserve to know. He's their father, Obi-Wan, but they don't even know his name! I couldn't even tell them that…"

Obi-Wan didn't know whether to be appalled that she had hidden _everything_ from them, impressed at the way she'd managed to protect them from all the things that could go wrong, or just plain relieved that the twins would not have the guilt that burdened their mother and himself. The way things stood without the knowledge the dark side would have less ammunition against the twins, but the later in life they found out about their father and the Jedi the more betrayed and angry they would feel. The line Padmé was walking was incredibly fine.

If they could be trained the likelihood that they would turn would lessen. Obi-Wan was cautious about their training: they were around the same age Anakin had been when he began his training, and it had been Obi-Wan that trained him, but away from influences such as Palpatine there was every chance they would succeed where Anakin had not. Of course, their training would make them vulnerable, as there was nothing to prevent Darth Vader or Palpatine from sensing their growing powers. Was it worth the risk?

He looked up at Padmé; her eyes were still glimmering with tears as she waited for his response. She wasn't expecting the one he gave her. "They need to be trained."

"What?!" She hissed. "Oh, no! You are not taking my children away from me, Obi-Wan Kenobi! They are mine. I'm their mother. They're all I have left! You can't take them away from me. I won't let you." Despite the intensity of her tone her voice was barely above a whisper. Even in her ire she wanted to keep from waking the children.

Take Luke and Leia away from Padmé? The thought hadn't even crossed his mind. Anakin's mother's death had nearly destroyed the boy, how could Obi-Wan take away the most important person in the twin's life? He opened his mouth to respond, but she was carrying on, "Haven't you learned your lesson? What happened the last time you took a child away from his mother Obi-Wan, and tried to make him a Jedi? Or did you decide that you wanted to ruin my life completely?"

So blatantly unfair was her final accusation that Obi-Wan, great Jedi Knight may he be, was stung into responding, "Did you stop to think _milady_, for one instant, that the whole sith-cursed galaxy is not out to get you, and perhaps you do have one iota of control over what happens – what has happened – that maybe you should look at your own actions and not just blame everyone else?" Once said, Obi-Wan he realised that he had gone too far. She may have done a good job of implying blame, but she had thought he was trying to take her children.

Before her temper could further get out of control and they both ended up in the middle of an argument, dragging up one sordid moment of their past after another, and completely ruining any chance of peace between them, he spoke up, "I'm sorry, Padmé – that was unfair of me. And you have to understand I didn't mean to take them away from you. You're right, after what happen to…well, after what happened—" still neither of them could find the courage to say his name— "I couldn't take them away from the one constant in their life." At her surprise, he held up a hand to forestall her words until he was finished. "The old ways are dead, Padmé. They died along with the Jedi Order. However, those two are so very powerful, can't you see how it would be beneficial for them to be trained? It could protect them, and then the galaxy would still have a chance against the Empire."

Padmé shook her head, Obi-Wan's words had cooled her own temper, but she wasn't ready to relent yet, "I'm sorry, too, Obi-Wan. I shouldn't have said what I did, it was unfair; but you have to understand, they are all I have left—" the words 'of him' went unsaid, but were there anyway— "when I thought you were trying to take them away…I can't lose them. They're all I've got." Her voice cracked and she fought tears again.

"But do you understand that they need to be trained?" This was important.

"No," she said finally, still trying to hold back the tears, "I don't. Wouldn't it be safer just to leave them where they can't develop any ability? That way there would be less chance of it being used. If they can't use it overtly, then how can it be sensed?"

She had been there when Qui-Gon had found Anakin. No doubt she wondered if her husband would have been safer had he stayed on Tatooine and become a farmer. Possibly he could have been, but there was no guarantee that Palpatine would not have found him anyway. Anakin innately used his abilities, in a way few could, making him an open target to anyone who could sense it, which had been what had inspired Qui-Gon's interest in him. 

Padmé was wrong when she'd said that the twins couldn't use their abilities overtly: they had demonstrated that they could so very clearly this afternoon. Instinctively, they had used the same enormous potential their father possessed to call to and locate one another, something that they should not have been able to do without training. It was true untrained force-sensitives often had unusual abilities, but that was generally latent, often showing itself as a lot of 'good luck'; Anakin had been one of the rare exceptions. Luke and Leia appeared to be another. Had they been separated from birth there was a chance their abilities wouldn't have been quite so developed, but there was no point in going back and trying to change the past.

He sighed, "Padmé, I don't think that would work. You've said yourself that they're talented. That kind of power does not hide itself away. The Emperor or Darth Vader might not notice today, tomorrow, or anytime soon, but it won't stay hidden forever. They're going to keep using it – particularly if they stay together." 

He wasn't getting through to her. The damage done by the events more than ten years ago was preventing her from seeing what he needed her to, he had to go back further, reach for something that could convince her, a very old memory and he had to bring her away from the scars. 

He gathered all his strength, let the force flow through him, then began something that would convince her either to listen to him, or to kill him. "Do you remembered the first time we came to Tatooine, and you found Anakin?" He used the name deliberately to jolt her, but wasn't expecting the pain that hearing it spoken aloud for the first time in ten years would bring. Pushing the sudden re-emergence of grief-guilt aside momentarily, he strode on, using the sudden shock of the ex-senator. "Do you remember that he was the first human to ever win the Boonta Eve races? The first human to ever be any kind of successful at pod racing? That kind of ability isn't normal in an untrained child. He had a midi-chlorian count above even that of Master Yoda. 

"The twins called to one another today, you said so yourself that they do so often. That isn't usual either. Without training there's no telling how much further their abilities will develop, and whose attention they'll attract. _With _training they'll have some control, a way of hiding themselves if they need." 

Saying Anakin's name out loud did have an effect on his wife, and for a second Obi-Wan was afraid she really would kill him, but his words had made her think, played on already existing insecurities. He was nearly convinced that he had her approval when she spoke, "I don't know. I just don't know. I see what you're saying, I really do, but _they're my children_, Obi-Wan. I don't…I can't decide about this, right now."

_Well, it's a start anyway, at least she isn't out right refusing to consider it_, he thought trying to let go of his frustration. She'd always been so stubborn – much like Anakin. "Think about it. There's no Palpatine out here, no Jedi Order, and I promise I won't take them away from you. Personally, I don't think they'd let me."

She nodded tightly, her eyes glazing over as her thoughts turned inwards for a moment or two, then she rubbed her temples and groaned slightly, "Stars, but I'm tired! Will you be all right on the couch? I think there's some extra blankets around here somewhere." She disappeared into her room for a moment, returning with some light bed coverings.

Setting them down, before she headed back to her own room for the night, she turned to him and, to his great surprise, pulled him into a tight hug. After a second of shock, her returned the embrace and she pulled him tighter, clinging to him. He could feel her need to be held, to be comforted, just for someone to be there. The emotion wasn't about sex or anything nearly as complicated, it was loneliness: for ten years both of them had been alone, away from anyone who loved or knew them.

Obi-Wan and Padmé had never been particularly close. Eleven years ago he never thought to question their relationship; she'd been a senator – a politician – and he'd been a Jedi. Generally the two professions, despite the need to occasionally work close together, did not mix well. During the Clone War he had come to realize that she could possibly be the one politician he honestly respected, but they'd never truly progressed beyond polite curtesy. 

Years later he realized that the reason for the lack of closeness had been Anakin. The marriage meant Anakin pulled away from him and the senator kept her distance. When Anakin turned, and his marriage to Padmé was revealed, the gap between Obi-Wan and Padmé had closed a little. He had admired the courage she had displayed as she stood before the already diminished council; it was not until later when he found her sobbing in the gardens he realized what a strain the ordeal had been for her.

From there he took it upon himself to find his wayward apprentice, a duty he already considered his own. Many people advised against it, but Obi-Wan believed there was a chance he could bring Anakin back. He remembered the brilliant and passionate child Anakin had been, the one that looked up to the Jedi with such awe and admiration. If he could remind the boy of the things he loved maybe he could be brought home.

However, on Sullest Obi-Wan had encountered, not his Padawan, Anakin, but the Sith, Darth Vader. The fight was bitter ending with Anakin falling into the lava pit. Only the dark arts had saved him, and when Obi-Wan dragged him back to Coruscant, Palpatine swooped in claiming the fallen Jedi. Scant days later, Padmé disappeared. At first he thought the newly proclaimed Emperor was to blame, but as the hunt for her began, he quickly realised that was not so.

***

"Hey!" Obi-Wan discovered that he was more asleep than he'd thought, as a small voice and a sharp prod in the ribs brought him back to consciousness.

"He's _asleep_. We should leave him alone." Said another voice in the same hoarse whisper.

Suppressing a smile Obi-Wan opened his eyes, and focused on the dim outline of Luke and Leia. "No, he's not – his eyes are _open_."

"Only because you woke him up."

"It was your idea."

"To talk to him, not wake him up!"

As they seemed likely to continue this conversation for a while, if he didn't interrupt, Obi-Wan sat up and said, "Children," they turned and looked at him and as his eyes became more adjusted to the darkness he could see twin looks of apprehension on their faces, "it's quite all right. Was there something you wanted?"

Leia, her hair disordered from sleep, nudged Luke, whose hair was in a similar disarray, he scowled at her, but looked directly at Obi-Wan, took a deep breath, and asked, "Did you know our father?"

He should have been expecting the question. Their mother had never told them anything about Anakin; they were bound to be curious and so took their queries to the next available person. Obi-Wan. It still caught him off-guard.

He wondered exactly what he should tell them. What he could tell them. While Padmé had not told him not to tell the twins about their father it was abundantly she would not be happy if he did.

Apparently his silence spoke for him, because when Leia spoke there was a note of bitterness in her tone, "You can't tell us about him can you?"

"Did Mom tell you not to say?" Asked Luke, and Obi-Wan detected the same bitterness in the boy as was in the girl. A dangerous emotion. Perhaps, this was something he could deal with. 

Obi-Wan shook his head, "No, but I get the feeling she would be very unhappy if I did tell you. Besides, I think what you want to know is better off coming from your mom."

"But she won't tell us!" The frustration was evident.

Obi-Wan patted the couch beside him and they both reluctantly perched there. "I know your mom has probably said this to you many times, but there are things that you are safer not knowing until you are older." The general dissatisfaction with that answer was evident – they had been told that too many times, then. Well, he'd take it a step further. "Before you were born, the Emperor decided to take control, and your mom tried to stop him, but he was too strong for her, and when she found out that she was going to have to the two of you she had to hide somewhere to protect you."

They were looking at him with wide eyes, this was obviously more than they had heard before, but he'd better drum it into them how dangerous the knowledge could be. "If you knew some of the things that happened there are people who would try to kill you or take you away from your mom."

"We'd never tell anyone!"

"I know you wouldn't. But some times when people know things they shouldn't they act strange and if someone was looking for you they might notice you were acting strange and try to hurt you."

"Like the slavers tried to do to Luke today?"

"Very much so. They noticed he was somewhere he knew he wasn't supposed to be and they tried to take advantage of that. I hope you both know not to go wandering off like that again." They nodded and momentarily looked away. He allowed himself a small smile.

However, there was one last thing he needed to address, "I have to ask the two of you to do something very important for me, something that you have to remember no matter what happens. If you ever start feeling angry or some tries to make you feel angry, remember how much you love your mom and how much she loves you and how much you love each other, then take a deep breath and let it go. You're both special children. I think you know that. If you lose your temper, some terrible things could happen."

Both children bobbed their heads and Luke said, "Mom, is always telling us that. She says that anger hurts us more than the person we're angry at."

"Your mom is very smart. You should listen to her." So Padmé had thought about forming some sort of check on her children. In the long run and under sustained attack it might not help much, but it was a starting point.  

"Now back to bed. You need sleep, and so do I."

He watched the children move back to their room, and reflected how much like their father they were. However, even the slave boy Anakin had been more likely to pressure answers for this questions, probing with 'whys?' and 'hows?', until he was satisfied. The mark of secrecy that Padmé had placed on her children stuck out, she had taught them not to press too hard for answers. While it might keep them safe for now, what would it do to them in the future?

Unable to find his own answers, Obi-Wan decided to take his advice to the children and settled down for the remainder of the night.

***

Back in their own room, Luke and Leia exchanged a glance. "He didn't tell us very much," complained Leia, who had not been happy when her brother woke her up in the middle of the night to talk the man sleeping on their couch, "He just said the same stuff Mom tells us. I _told_ you he would."

"He told us Mom tried to stop the Emperor."

Leia did have to give Luke that much, but the information they had been given was only a scrap. Then it occurred to her: "She must have been really important then."

"Why do you think that?"

Leia rolled her eyes, "Coz if she tried to stop the Emperor she would have had to work for him, because everyone important works for the Emperor, like Darth Vader, stupid."

"I'm not stupid! You are!"

Leia shook her head in disgust, Luke could be so immature – but then he _was _a boy.

He was carrying on, "Besides there is no way Mom was as important as Darth Vader."

"I didn't say she was. Maybe she was like a senator or something. That would be so cool." Leia would have loved to go to Coruscant to see the Imperial Palace and the way the government worked, but, she reflected, she didn't want to _live_ there. Still, knowing a real live senator – even one that worked for Emperor Palpatine, especially if it were her mom – would be fantastic. She knew Luke had no such interests – he just wanted to fly. And that was _all _he wanted to do. That was why Mom's punishment was so hard for him, because he loved it so much. She suppressed a twinge of guilt: Luke said he forgave her.

"Mom? Maybe. Hey, I wonder if that's how she met our dad. Maybe he was a senator, too." Luke frowned, "Maybe not. But Obi-Wan didn't say anything about him. Did you notice how Mom called him 'Master Kenobi' when she was mad at him?"

"And he called Mom 'm'Lady'. Perhaps she really was a senator. Wonder what he was?"

Luke yawned. "Maybe we can get him to tell us more tomorrow," he said as he crawled under the covers, burrowing himself into their warmth. As hot as the day had been, he'd expected the night to be warmer. "'Night Leia."

His sister crawled into her own bed and offered him a sleepy smile, "'Night Luke." 

*****

**A/N: **That's all folks. Next chapter next Friday, I almost promise. Now tell me what you thought of this chapter folks. Are there any major problems? Grammar, plot holes characterisations, inconsistencies, or incorrect facts from the Star wars universe? I love to hear your thoughts, both compliments and constructive criticisms. I'm also desperate for a beta, anyone know any good ones who'd be willing to saddle themselves with me?


	6. Part One: Chapter Five

**Summary:** If every decision we make determines where we end up, what if instead of doing one thing, we do another? Obi-Wan and the Jedi never knew that Padmé was pregnant with Anakin's children. '_But then_, she thought sourly, _he doesn't need to say anything_.'****

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Star Wars. No, really, I don't. However, if someone would like to bequeath it to me, I wouldn't object. ****

**Notes:** Thanks to Brigantia, my beta, she beta-ed this chapter for me and she'll do the rest from now on. :o)

Read and review (you know you want to). Last chapter of Part One! 

*****

Chapter Five 

_"I__n any moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing." Theodore Roosevelt_

The night had been a rough one for Padmé. Haunted by dreams, she woke often and her rest was fitful. At one point during the night she thought she heard voices out in the main room, but had been too tired to leave her bed, so had slipped back into her uneasy slumber.

Near dawn she slept a little deeper, her body instinctively seeking relief, but even there she couldn't hide from the invading visions.

***

They were on a small planet, known for it's impressive rock formations. Once, before the Clone Wars, it had been a popular tourist destination. However, it's distance from the inner systems, combined with the financial troubles many people experienced because of the war meant it no longer attracted many off-worlders.

_The remaining population struggled to make ends meet in the harsh landscape. The soil here was poor and supported little in the way of either flora or fauna, so the inhabitants had been glad of the young woman's apparent interest in the geology of their home. They didn't stop to question her presence, the small amount of credits she'd bought with her convinced them she was interested only in sightseeing._

_Very carefully a small garden had been built by the residents – a patch of green and rich brown against the barren grey. Much of the fresh food for the population grew here, and a lot of the money made by the few tourists that still visited went to keeping it alive. The planet, in it's own way, was nearly as dry as Tatooine, though not nearly as hot – the sun was distant and cool in the sky, so irrigation and warmth were carefully monitored to ensure best growth._

_Someone had set aside an area of grass for public use, and a few flowers grew there. Padmé watched as her children, now four years old, played on the soft greenness. Giggling, they chased each other around in some version of tag, enjoying the temporary freedom they had been granted. After a while, they grew tired and stopped to study some of the flowers._

_Leia picked one and came over to her mother offering it to be smelt. Although Padmé was well aware this particular flower had no scent, she leaned forward to oblige her daughter – only to rear back in horror as the harmless flower turned out to be a lightsabre. The little girl turned to her brother and calmly watched as the small flower he held spun out to be a blade of his own._

_Neither moved to attack their mother or each other, but calmly stood waiting, then holding hands, sabres still glowing, they walked away, leaving Padmé to watch them go._

_***_

Waking was not pleasant. Her skin tingled with the after effects of her dream, and a deep pit of loneliness settled in her stomach. She'd slept late and the suns had already risen, casting their suffocating heat across the planet. Sweat clung to her and her head felt heavy and aching, her nose was blocked and her throat felt raw and dry. For a moment she wondered if she was ill, but when she raised a hand to rub her eyes and felt the dried tear tracks she realised she must have been crying as she slept.

Her muscles protested as she rose out of bed and headed for the 'fresher. A few minutes later she emerged feeling slightly better, but still sore and tired. 

The twins weren't up yet, which was unusual, but Obi-Wan was meditating, sitting quietly on the floor. The blankets she'd given him were folded neatly at the end of the couch and he seemed oblivious to her presence.

So as not to disturb him she moved to prepare the morning meal for the four of them, wondering if she was actually going to have to wake the twins. A rare event, they usually woke her. Still, she took the moment of silence to think about the dream she'd had just before she woke up. While the dreams from most of the night were just a barely remembered kaleidoscope of distorted images the final one remained clear in her mind. 

The first part of the dream had actually happened. However, then she'd smelt the flower and taught the twins how to make chains out from them, weaving them into a crown for each. The horror of her dream warred with the sweetness of the actual memory, threatening to overcome the happiness that had surrounded the day.

Clinging to one of her few good memories, Padmé wondered if the dream held any truth or if it were just her insecurity about losing her children making itself felt.

"Can I help you?"

Padmé jumped and barely refrained from letting out a yell; she turned to see Obi-Wan's concerned face. "Don't do that!" She snapped, trying to slow her racing heartbeat.

"I didn't mean to startle you," said Obi-Wan, holding out his hands, calming. "I just thought you might like some help."

Offering a smile to let him know she knew, she replied, "I know – I was just lost in thought. And no, I don't need help; I'm about finished here. I just have to wake Luke and Leia." And turned to do so. She wasn't quite ready to resume their conversation from the previous night. Aware that he was waiting for an answer, she was still unsure of her own decision.

He stopped her though, and she tensed, afraid, "Before you find out through other sources, I had two visitors last night. Two very inquisitives visitors."

Briefly she remembered hearing voices during the night, before she could comment Obi-Wan carried on. "I did tell them a little." Concerned she narrowed her eyes and waited for him to elaborate.

He told her what he had told the twins. She wasn't impressed. Still, at the same time she was a little relieved, there was so much more he could have told them. In the deepest darkest pit of her soul she was a little disappointed. She did not like lying to her children and that would be the easy way out. She violently squashed the emotion. Now was not the time for them to know, and she knew that she had to be the one to tell them. 

***

The meal was as uncomfortable as the previous night's, with both children looking guilty at having deceived their mother. Leia hovered over her brother protectively, apparently deciding he needed her help in everything. Padmé wondered what had brought that on – she'd thought Luke had managed to cure the girl of the habit. Luke was putting up with his sister's overbearing behaviour for now, but Padmé knew the minute he found it troublesome he'd put her in her place. Probably.

Obi-Wan wasn't saying anything. _But then_, she thought sourly, _he doesn't need to say anything_. He'd said his piece the night before, and she hadn't forgotten she still had a decision to make.

She looked again at her children. Both were tired, in their sleep clothes, with hair ruffled, and guilt written all over their faces. They were good children, unwilling to deliberately hurt their mother, despite the trouble they habitually got themselves into.

She remembered their father: how she'd found him, a small dusty boy, a slave working in Watto's shop. The abilities he had with mechanical things and the way he'd won the pod race. Qui-Gon had insisted he needed to be trained.

So Anakin had been trained. He could have been a great Jedi instead he chose to follow Palpatine into darkness. What would have happened if there had been no Palpatine? Would Anakin have fallen? Or would he have been around to see how wonderful his children were? Wonderful, beautiful, intelligent, talented and oh-so-very powerful.

Thoughts too big for the small table, Padmé abruptly pushed her chair back and, leaving her food untouched on her plate, strode into her room.

She was running away from the issue, and she didn't bother to hide the fact from herself. After all, she'd been running away from something for the last ten years, why should she start ignoring her actions now? Her psychotic husband's ex-master wanted to give her children the potential to follow in their father's footsteps: was that a reason to think she was doing anything but avoiding the question?

Did she give her children the chance to become strong good Jedi, while risking the chance that they would become powerful dark-siders? Or did she hide them away praying they would never be found out and turned or killed anyway?

"That kind of power does not hide itself away.... They're going to keep using it – particularly if they stay together.... With training they'll have some control, a way of hiding themselves if they need."

Bottom line: to hide them she'd need to separate them. Separating them would mean that she couldn't be there for both of them all the time. If she let Obi-Wan train them, he'd said he wouldn't take them away from her.

_Damn him!_

Her door creaked open and she was unsurprised to see two concerned faces looking in. Thinking about it she realised that her children had not seemed at all happy in the last few days – in fact they had rarely been completely happy in their entire lives. It pained her to know that they would more than likely suffer for a longer time. Would they ever be truly happy?

A slender child buried itself on either side of her, "Mom, are you alright?" One set of blue eyes and one set of brown looked up at her, and she pulled them tightly against her knowing there had been only one choice all along.

For a moment she remained quiet, tightening her arms around them even further, savouring the last moment her children were still completely her own. Then she released them, stood and offering a hand to each, said, "I'm fine, I just needed to think for a moment."

"Think about what?"

She smiled slightly, fighting back tears, "What is going to happen now. Come on – let's go to talk to Obi-Wan."

*****

**A/N: **Well, that's it the end of Part One. I realize that this chapter is short, but now I can move on to the next part, after an interlude, of course. Catchya later.


	7. Interlude

**Email:** kazzy@whoever.com****

**Summary:** If every decision we make determines where we end up, what if instead of doing one thing, we do another? Obi-Wan and the Jedi never knew that Padmé was pregnant with Anakin's children. _"Bring him home to me, Master Kenobi."_****

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Star Wars. No, really, I don't. However, if someone would like to bequeath it to me I wouldn't object. ****

**Notes:** Sorry this took so long. I got it off to my beta and she sent it back to me in good time, then I got sick, then I had to catch up all the work I missed. But here we are, and hopefully the next chapter won't take so long.

 Thanks to my lovely beta Brigantia, may she forgive me for taking so long to write and post.

Read and review (you know you want to). Please, please, please review this.

*****

Interlude "What is past is prologue." William Shakespeare 

11 years ago:

"Anakin? What are you doing?" She needed to speak with him. This was too important to keep hidden, particularly now. However, her husband had other ideas; he appeared to be arranging his minimal belongings into some sort of bag.

"Leaving."

"Leaving? You're leaving now? The Jedi Council have called an emergency meeting because of us, and which we are required to attend, in three days, and you're leaving?" Her tone was harsh with disbelief. What was he thinking?

"That's right. They never wanted me here, so I'm leaving, to go to a place where there are people who want me around." 

"What about Master Obi-Wan? What about me - your _wife_?"

"Obi-Wan never really wanted me around, I was just a duty. And you," he paused for a moment, finally turning to look at her, "I love you Padmé – you know that – and they'll leave you alone if I'm not here. They've been looking for a way to get rid of me ever since Master Qui-Gon pulled me from Tatooine, and now they have it."

"I don't think that's the reason they're doing this—" 

"You wouldn't."

She stared at him in outright surprise. What in the galaxy had taken possession of her husband? She knew he'd been…dissatisfied with the Order lately and he'd always felt stifled by Obi-Wan, but what was he accusing her of? "What is that supposed to mean?"

"You, like most of this galaxy, seem to be taken in by _them_, believe _they_ can do no wrong. In actual fact, they can't even see what's in front of their faces."

Something was drastically wrong here; this conversation was becoming more and more confusing, and she really needed to tell him about— "What can't they see?" She asked, the pit of apprehension that had been growing inside her rapidly becoming wider.

His answer was simple, "Power."

_"You're not all powerful."_

_"But I should be. And someday I will be."_

Chilled, Padmé tried once more to reach out to her husband, "Anakin…" 

"No, Padmé. I'm going. Goodbye."

And he left her standing there staring after him. She still hadn't told him the news she had come to find him for.

***

Obi-Wan was trying to come to terms with the last few days. Starting with his discovery of Anakin's marriage, followed by the incredible verbal battle that had ensued the revelation, and finally the disappearance of his Jedi padawan. The burning resentment that poured out of Anakin had surpassed anything Obi-Wan could have expected. He knew the boy was unhappy and had always been over-emotional, but the rage aimed at his master had nearly choked Obi-Wan.

Unable to deal with the situation Obi-Wan went straight to the council and told them. All that had done was force Anakin to abandon his wife and his duty. Now he was out roaming the galaxy, doing Force knew what, balanced on a sabre-blade's edge, about to fall into a pit of darkness. 

Obi-Wan was supposed to take care of Anakin: to watch him, guide him, teach him the ways of the Force; but he had failed at the single most important task in his Jedi career. Forget fighting in the Clone War – that was supposed to come second to Anakin. He had ignored the blatant signals that had been emanating from Anakin; he had been blind to his Padawan's pain and struggles. When he eventually realised what was going on – right under his nose – anything he could have done was too little, too late. Then, what he'd tried to do was completely wrong. Now, Anakin was almost completely lost. And Obi-Wan still didn't know what to do.

The soft sound of crying pulled him from his contemplation. Following the sound through the seemingly empty gardens – there were so many dead Jedi, now, leaving parts of the temple eerily deserted – he found her sitting in the sun beside a bubbling fountain, sobbing.

She had faced the council – and the galaxy in general – so bravely; making him believe she truly felt no regret for her actions, now he realised the senator's cool act was just that – an act. To fool the council she had to be a good actor, but then she'd a lot of practice over the last few years. She was also a senator, and Obi-Wan's opinions on politicians and the truth was well known. 

Earlier that day she had been immaculate: her hair pinned elaborately, and her senator's robe perfect. At some point her hair had fallen or been let down and there was a tear near the hem of the gown. Her shoulders shook and while the sound was not loud, the stillness of the surrounds carried the muffled weeping to him, several feet away, concealed by some small bushes. As he watched trying to understand this new development, she gasped a couple of times drawing air into her lungs to slow her sobs and she whispered brokenly, "Oh, Anakin – what have we done?"

_No regrets?_ He wondered as his legs, seemingly under their own volition, brought him forward. "Senator Amidala – are you all right?"  

She started violently, jumped up and spun to face him. When she saw who it was, she swiped the back of her hand across her face, straightened her shoulders and pushed her hair back. To Obi-Wan she looked very much like she was preparing herself for a battle - like she was expecting him to attack her. Going on what she had been subjected to that morning he supposed she had grounds. 

However, he hadn't been part of that and he had no intention of continuing it; he'd played his own role in whatever was happening with Anakin. As Anakin's master it was duty to ensure the wellbeing of his padawan; he was not going to use his guilt as fuel to condemn her. Once this thought had crystallised he realised, for the first time, that he truly did not blame the senator.

She watched him closely as if trying to find the aggression in his words, but then cautiously replied, "Master Kenobi, I didn't think that anyone else would be here at this time of day." She inclined her head, respectful but distant, as always.

"Nor did I, m'Lady. Perhaps no-one else needs the comfort of these beautiful surroundings." Then he took a small risk, "Would you care to walk with me? I think you and I have some things that should be discussed." She hesitated then accepted graciously.

The garden really was bereft of people, the remaining Jedi busy with daily activities and as the Senate was currently not in session, there were few Senators on Coruscant, and those that were, seemed to be keeping themselves well occupied. They walked the stone path in silence for a moment before he spoke, something had been bothering him for a couple of hours now, "I want you to know that for possibly the second time in my life I completely disagree with the Jedi Council, although possibly not, this time, with Master Yoda. You can't be held responsible for Anakin's actions."

He had agreed with them earlier, however, his initial thoughts on the matter had changed. Or he at least realised the blame should not fall on the senator herself. While she may have knowingly helped Anakin break the Jedi Code, she would never convince him to go against the entire order. 

She was looking over at him sharply, trying to appraise his words, and maybe understanding their import like few would. After all, she, more than most, knew the sway of the council over the Jedi Order in general. She had rather spectacularly flouted their rules. "I am gratified by your faith in me Master Kenobi, even if I think it to be somewhat ill-placed. Both Anakin and I were aware from the beginning where our path might take us. I just think neither of us thought we would end up this far."

"Yes, but I should have seen this before now. I should've done something. It was my place to make sure he was all right."

"And I didn't interfere with that?" She shook her head, sending her curls bouncing in all directions. "I said it before: Anakin and I knew what we were doing. We knew what would happen if we were discovered as we have been. I just expected him to be here. Anakin made his choices and I made mine. You can hardly take responsibility for that."

"Perhaps, perhaps not. That still leaves me with one question: what do I do now?"

"Why do you have to do anything? Why is everyone, including myself, talking about him, as if he's completely lost? What's to say he doesn't come back on his own?"

Obi-Wan shook his head, "Do you believe it m'Lady? Truly?"

She glanced at him then looked away, and when she answered her voice was so quiet he barely caught the answer, "No, I don't."

"Then, do you believe that he is irretrievable?" He had to know her answer - Anakin's survival might depend on it. If she believed he could be saved then maybe it would be enough to drag Anakin back from whichever precipice he hung from now. Strange that the opinion of the entire collective Jedi Order didn't matter to him, but the thoughts of a single _politician_ did. Of course, that said politician had married Anakin and she would be the one person left alive who could hold any sway over him.

She was fighting tears again, tilting her head back, breathing in short gasps, when she turned back to face him he could see she was losing the fight, "I have to believe he can be saved, or else we're all lost, aren't we?"

"M'Lady…" He searched for the words he was looking for, but she shook her head and changed the subject.

"Don't call me that, I'm no longer a senator." At his obvious surprise she explained, "I should have mentioned it earlier. My resignation was finalised this morning. I'm just Padmé now."

"Why did you resign? The Senate—"

"—is ruled by a dictator, who reached his goal because of _my own actions_. My Jedi husband had abandoned the order that once meant everything to him. I have spent my entire life trying to help people, but I only succeeded in hurting them more than I could have ever imagined." 

He knew the feeling. However, it was unfair to her and would ultimately be damaging, "That's not really true."

"Isn't it?" She shrugged. "Not that it matters now. I can no longer do any harm."

"What will you do now?"

"I don't know. I have to stay and wait for Anakin. I'm not giving up on him, you know – he's still my husband – I will not just annul our marriage, for the sake or form of the Jedi."

He didn't have an answer for that. Technically Anakin's vows to the Jedi Order should take precedence to the marriage vows he should never have taken, but forcing Anakin away from his wife would be more destructive than helpful. However, as little blame as he placed on the, now, ex-senator and as much as he disagreed with the Council, he found he struggled with openly opposing them.

Still confused about what to do, Obi-Wan shook his head, and looked over at Padmé, "I need to find Anakin," he said. 

"Granted," she said dryly, "but do you know where to look for him, how to reach him?"

Obi-Wan thought about that for a moment. "Perhaps. You will be on Coruscant for a while then m'Lady?"

"Yes. And please just stick with Padmé."

He inclined his head, "As you wish. I must go and see if I can find my missing padawan. Good-day Padmé, may you find the peace you're searching for."

She gave a sad smile, "Thankyou. Good-day, Master Kenobi."

He turned and walked away. He was almost out of earshot when she called to him, "Bring him home to me, Master Kenobi." He paused for a moment and when he turned she was gone from sight. He debated following her, decided against it – they had said all that could be said and anything else could wait until Anakin was safely home. In the meantime he had much to prepare.

***

Once around the corner, Padmé had to sit down, she was shaking so badly. The last person she'd wanted to meet was Obi-Wan Kenobi. However, his reaction was vastly different to what she would have expected. Instead of being her chief accuser he had been almost…understanding? She suspected that he might not be completely approving but he didn't seem to see her as some temptress after seducing Jedi Padawans. Besides, he, out of everyone, knew Anakin's character as well as she did, maybe better.

She could see she had been unfair to her husband's master. She knew, of course, Obi-Wan wasn't as harsh as Anakin could make him out to be. Until just now she hadn't realised how off-centre Anakin's opinion had been and how much she'd let that opinion influence her own.

She understood why, despite the resentment and contempt Anakin felt for his master, he loved the man like a father. An emotion, in spite of all Jedi stipulations, Obi-Wan clearly returned. It would cost the master a lot to chase down his apprentice, and knowing her husband, Anakin would be exacting. 

Unfortunately, the situation now went further than a missing husband and padawan. Padmé curled her hand around her stomach. It was still as flat as it had ever been, but in a few short months she would not be able to hide the tiny life that grew there. She had been terrified the Council would sense she was pregnant as they interrogated her, but they hadn't seemed to notice. A fact that relieved her greatly.

If Obi-Wan didn't know what to do about Anakin, Padmé was at a loss about what to do about his child. She was not prepared for anyone's input on the matter until she had discussed it with her husband, or at least had some idea about what she wanted to do.

Miserably, she knew that sitting here was not going to bring her any closer to resolution. So she stood up and head back to her quarters – still in the building that housed Naboo's embassy – to wait for her husband.

***

Three weeks later Padmé rushed through the Temple to the Healer's Wing where Anakin had been brought in suffering from intense burns to most of his body.

No one had thought to tell her he'd been brought in, until Obi-Wan had stumbled to her door, in bad shape himself, and raggedy confessed the happenings on Sullest. She had brushed him aside, ignoring the guilt haunting his eyes. All she could think about was seeing Anakin and seeing him now.

She'd been prepared for the worst. Had expected his injuries to be horrifying – you did not fall into a lava pit and come out with mild sunburn. 

When she saw him she screamed. She couldn't help it. The barely recognisable shape of her husband was burned and blackened as it hung – slightly distorted – in the bacta tank. The edges of her vision started to turn grey and she grasped the doorframe in an effort to keep from fainting.

Arms gently grasped at her and led her to a chair beside the tank. Later she would wonder who it had been, but for now her entire attention was taken up by the hideous visage.

Days passed and Padmé barely moved, rarely ate and hardly slept. Healers came and went, one or two stopped to explain to Padmé that they had little hope for Anakin, and that if he survived he'd be crippled for the rest of his life. They didn't think he'd live the trauma to his body was too great; they couldn't even explain why he was still alive. She paid them little attention.

On the second day Obi-Wan joined her vigil. He tried to apologise, tried to explain. She dismissed this, first from numbness, then from anger, and finally, nearly six days after Anakin had been brought in, weary acceptance. Not long after that she was forcefully removed from her husband's side and put into a drugged sleep.

Seven days after he had been brought in, he woke up. This time it had been Obi-Wan who had been forced out of the room and to sleep. There were no healers present. It was just Anakin and Padmé; for a moment they stared at each other through the glass and liquid. She wondered what he saw. Whatever it was, he didn't like it, and begun to struggle violently.

She yelled for the healers and some came running. They forced her out of the room while they worked; Padmé spent her time pacing and yelling, trying to get them to let her see her husband. Less than an hour later the Supreme Chancellor had arrived to see Anakin. It was about then everything went to chaos.

Padmé never saw her husband again.

*****

**A/N: **I'm begging here. It'll only take a couple of seconds to hit the little button at the bottom of the page, and write 'good', 'bad', or 'dreadful'. Of course, something a little more than that would be greatly appreciated. It'd be nice to know that someone other than Renee reads this. BTW, thanks honey, your reviews mean a lot.


	8. Part Two: Chapter Six

**Email:** kazzy@whoever.com

**Summary:** If every decision we make determines where we end up, what if instead of doing one thing, we do another? Obi-Wan and the Jedi never knew that Padmé was pregnant with Anakin's children. _Really, that was completely unfair, Leia thought: manipulation in its extreme.****_

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Star Wars. No, really, I don't. However, if someone would like to bequeath it to me, I wouldn't object. ****

**Notes:** Thank you to Kathy for beta-ing this for me, it is now a much more error-free fic. :o)

Read and review (you know you want to). This is about six years after Part One.

*****

Chapter Six 

_"It does not matter who my father was; it matters who I remember he was." Anne Sexton_

Whatever the Emperor commanded, Darth Vader carried out. Even if it meant that he had to return the force-cursed planet of Tatooine.

Obedience, however, did not require agreement or approval. And Darth Vader felt neither. He was sure that the disturbances in the force were no great threat. He had managed to wipe out all of the Jedi nearly two decades ago, and any remaining showed no sign of further resistance.

Of course, Darth Vader's master, the former Supreme Chancellor and current Emperor, was rarely wrong, and it was never a good idea to contradict him in any case. He was a master of the Dark Side, a Sith Lord, so powerful that even the mighty Lord Vader was more than a little afraid of his wrath. When such emotion was aroused he was…exacting.

Needless to say, Darth Vader rarely disagreed with his master, and never to his face.

So, here he was, light years away from Coruscant, looking for missing Jedi, on a dust-ball planet called Tatooine, whose one saving grace was to produce a Sith Lord. Or rather, the young slave-boy who became the Jedi, who became the Sith Lord.

Anakin Skywalker had spent his childhood here, had met a Queen and left his mother here, returned only to bury his mother and murder a large selection of the filthy Sand People. The place was drenched with the memories of him, even if the planet's population had never remembered the bright-eyed boy who had won the Boonta Eve races all those years ago.

The foolish child had been destroyed along with the rest of the Jedi. However, a remnant of his personality remained behind to haunt his successor. It was largely powerless against the Sith, who was backed by the Dark Side, and could seldom make itself felt, but it existed nonetheless. It was one of the Sith's few weaknesses and the one that not even the Emperor, in all his glory and power, was aware of. It was also the weakness that Darth Vader wanted to rid himself of the most.

There were two places in the galaxy that would challenge Darth Vader's control; this was one of them. The other: he dared not even speak its name.

He spared a few moments to wonder why his master had sent him on this fools errand and not one of his hands. That little upstart Mara Jade would have been perfect. Go in. Kill a Jedi. Even the brat could handle that one. This was no job for a Sith Lord. He had done his part in the Jedi extermination.

In the end, though, it mattered little; he had been sent so he would investigate and destroy any Jedi and move on. If there were no Jedi it was hardly his problem.

***

If there was one place that Leia Skywalker hated, it was Mos Eisley. She'd had the misfortune to live here for nearly six years. Ironic really, the one place she had lived the longest was the place she disliked the most.

Not for much longer, though. She and Luke, over the last year, had managed, through a contact, to find a way to join the rebellion. In two days time they would leave here, hopefully for good. And perhaps, _actually achieve something with all the training we have undergone in the last six years_, she thought with a scowl, _what's the point of being a Jedi if you sit on your behind doing nothing? No wonder they were all destroyed_.

As soon as she thought _that,_ though, she was contrite. Such thinking was disrespectful towards Obi-Wan, who deserved all the respect Leia had to give. It was also disrespectful to Leia's own father, who had, according to Obi-Wan, been a great Jedi. He would not say much more than that though, no matter how Leia and her twin, Luke, asked. Their mother said even less about him. Still, she could not help feeling a flash of pride at the thought her father had been a great Jedi, even if he was now dead.

"A Jedi is always humble," said a soft voice in her ear, and she jumped round angrily to face her brother.

"Don't do that!"

"A Jedi knows no anger."

"Oh, shut up," she said to her grinning twin.

"I can't help it if you need reminding of things from time to time, you can't learn from your mistakes if you don't know you've made them…" He trailed off still grinning, and Leia had to work hard not to smile back. A useless exercise, as with a bit of effort, he could sense her amusement.

"Oh, and I suppose you're perfect?" She gracefully lifted an eyebrow. A trick designed to annoy him, as he'd never been able to imitate it.

He was in too much of a good mood to be affected, and replied, "Well, if you say so." He pretended to preen.

Leia rolled her eyes, "Save it for someone who isn't your twin." She finally allowed the end of her lips to tilt upwards, and in answer his smile broadened.

"Feels good doesn't it?" He asked.

She nodded knowing exactly what he was talking about. _One week… _"Freedom at last." She commented.

"More than that," he added.

Leia nodded again, still understanding him perfectly. Obi-Wan could preach all he liked that they weren't ready; their mother could give as many long lectures about the danger to themselves and the futility of the rebellion; but both twins knew they had to do this. The opportunity to strike back at the Empire was too good to be missed. And they had much to strike back for: a murdered father, a life spent in hiding, the destruction of the once great Jedi Order, and above all else – their mother's peace of mind.

To them there was no person in the galaxy that needed more protecting than Padmé Skywalker. If they could hurt the Empire, even a little, for their mother then it would be all worth it.

The main problem lay in the fact that they could not present this reason to either Obi-Wan or their mother. Neither would approve and would be far more insistent in their arguments. If their mother forbade them to join the rebellion the twins knew they would have no choice but to obey.  

She had not done so yet, although the increasing desperation in her eyes convinced the twins she might at any time.

"You ready?" He asked, bringing her out of her reverie with a slight change in mood. This little bit was not going to be enjoyable.

"No, but it has to be done." Their mother had stipulated that they had to go and see their aunt and uncle, who lived just outside of Anchorhead. While they would not tell Owen or Beru where they were going, they had to go and say goodbye. Neither was particularly happy about this. Oh, their aunt was all right and always seemed pleased to see them, but their uncle…well, that was another story.

Owen Lars had made it perfectly clear they he did not approve of them training to be Jedi. He refused to have anything much to do with either the twins' mother or Obi-Wan, affording them the barest courtesy. The twins he treated slightly better, but even that relationship was beginning to break down. Obi-Wan said he had a lot of things to be bitter about, and the twins should be respectful of him. Padmé refused to say anything, but her pained expression whenever the topic was brought up was enough.

When they arrived Beru welcomed them warmly, bringing them in out of the hot sun, sitting them at a table with a glass of blue milk each. She explained their uncle was out checking on some vaporators with the hired boy – who, as far as the twins could tell, received a room, board, and very little pay for what they considered to be one of the worst jobs in the galaxy.

"How's your mother?" their aunt inquired.

"She's very well, thanks," answered Luke.

"And Ben?" The locals called Obi-Wan Ben. Both Owen and Beru knew his real name, but in order to keep up appearances, particularly in consideration with the hired boy, they never referred to him as such.

"He's good, too," replied Leia.

There was the inevitable pause. An uncomfortable moment when everyone wondered who was going to bring up the aspect of the twins life that they considered highly important, yet their aunt and uncle disapproved of. Eventually Beru did it, "Your training?" a slight quaver in her voice, afraid of the answer she still managed to keep eye contact with her niece and nephew.

Luke and Leia exchanged a glance, one of them had to say it, "Very good, thanks Aunt Beru," said Luke, then he took a deep breath and continued, "actually, that's why we're here. Leia and I have decided we would do best to be out in the galaxy, helping people, so we've come to say goodbye to you and Uncle Owen." There. It had been said.

For a minute Beru offered no reply, then with a sigh she picked up the empty jug, stood and headed for the small kitchen to refill it. Now, both twins were concerned, "Aunt Beru?" called Leia. "Are you all right?"

Their aunt re-entered, filled their glasses and set the jug back on the table before answering, "I'm fine," she replied, but was belied by the slight downward turn of her lips, and small line between her brows. "What do your mother and Obi-Wan think of this?"

"They aren't happy," admitted Leia.

"But they're letting us go," finished Luke.

"We really feel this is best, Aunt Beru, because…"

"…what's the point of being a Jedi if you aren't out in the galaxy…"

"…helping people?"

They'd used the same argument with their mother and Obi-Wan. Their mother had said that there were only two of them: what could they hope to accomplish? Obi-Wan had pointed out they could do so much more if they completed their training. Luke simply said, how could they possibly know what they were capable of if they never put their abilities to the test? Leia carefully added that the rebellion was growing in strength and she believed the help of two Jedi would be immensely beneficial to the cause.

This had been met with a general run down of their weaknesses and a lecture on the might of the Empire; followed by an argument about exactly how much arrogance had to do with the fall of the Jedi Order; and ended with their mother in tears. Really, that was completely unfair, Leia thought: manipulation in its extreme.

Of course, the twins were prepared for something along this line of response, and had vowed to stay strong, not to give in. A little harder to manage in practise, but both clung to their ideals while assuring their mom they would keep themselves as safe as possible, not taking too many undue risks.  

Beru looked about as convinced as her sister-in-law, but she did not raise her concerns, instead she shook her head and sighed, "Well, if you're sure."

"We are," said Luke resolutely, and Leia to admit to being a little surprised at her brother's tone, he'd been a little wary of the idea at first. Only when Leia had pointed out they would need a pilot he'd been a good deal amendable. It hadn't been that he was against the idea, just a little concerned about whether they'd had enough training. Still, flying was something Luke loved and a chance to do so while fighting the Empire was incredibly appealing to him. Obviously, he was becoming more and more convinced they'd made the right decision.

Beru was clearly surprised, as well, and she turned to regard her nephew looking startled. After a minute, uncomfortable with his aunt's gaze Luke shifted and repeated Leia's earlier question, "Aunt Beru, are you all right?"

She shook off her reverie, and answered similarly to her earlier response. "I'm fine. Just for a moment there you reminded me of your father. He always seemed to need to be rushing off to do things, to be in the middle." This time it was the twins' turn to be surprised – their aunt and uncle had always avoided mentioning their father, Owen's stepbrother. 

However, Beru Lars seemed compelled to tell her story, "Like the first day we met him. He just appeared out of nowhere, your mother with him, standing there in the courtyard, asking for your grandmother, all dressed in Jedi robes. You could tell they were from somewhere far away – nobody on Tatooine ever looked like that. Two days later he was gone, off to find Obi-Wan; he never seemed to stay still. 

"It's why your uncle disapproves, you see, of your training. He sees what happened to your father, and everything else following. He just doesn't want history to be repeated." She stopped seemingly shocked at her own words. The twins were just as surprised – the whole episode was completely out of character for their normally complacent aunt. Usually, she was no more likely to say these things than their mother.

Beru sighed, and shook her head, "No doubt your mother will be very angry at me for telling you that, but there comes a point…still, the past hurt her even more than it did Owen. You be careful, understand? Very careful."

Luke and Leia had spent sixteen years gathering all the information about their father they could. Gleaned from off-hand comments from the various adults in their life, or threats from their uncle – 'if you're not careful you'll end up like your father' – and one or two arguments overheard between their mother and Obi-Wan. 

They had still only managed to find out their father had been a Jedi, and something extremely horrible had happened to him before he died. Also, he'd never been told about the twins. Darth Vader, the Emperor's loyal servant, a Sith Lord who had once been a Jedi, had killed him. Whatever had happened to him before he died was apparently unmentionable, because no one – even when they thought Luke and Leia couldn't hear – would say anything about it. The twins were fairly sure his name was Anakin Skywalker, but couldn't prove it. Leia's sixteenth birthday present had been a ring their father had supposedly given their mother, and although Luke had crafted his own lightsabre, he had been allowed to keep their father's. 

Their Aunt Beru's little speech would be filed away by the two, added to their small collection of 'Facts about Father' and analysed at a later date – much the way Obi-Wan's comments from six years ago had been.   

Aunt Beru was speaking again, "Stay here tonight, it's late now, and if you leave it'll be dark before you get home – it's never a good idea to be out in the dark, besides your uncle will be hurt if you leave without saying goodbye." Another person they had to worry about hurting. There were times when Luke wondered why if he and Leia were so painful to be around that these people bothered. 

The thought of sticking around and getting a lecture from their uncle about being 'wild dreamers', 'flitting about the galaxy' and 'ending up like their father' was unappealing. Uncle Owen believed they should stick around and become moisture farmers, but the twins were tired of being trapped on this Sith-pit of a planet, tired of living on all the backwater, poor, and dirt ridden places their mother had dragged them to in their life. Didn't they – the adults in their life – realise how stifled they felt? The two wanted to be free to explore, they longed to be able to test their abilities. If they could achieve this by working for the Rebellion, then so be it.

Luke caught Leia's eye, and she nodded. They would stay, if just to appease their aunt, who was a good person. Besides a Jedi was patient and there were still a few days before they needed to be off-world. 

If Luke wanted to be truthful – and Obi-Wan had always stressed the importance of telling the truth (particularly to one's self) – he didn't mind too much having to stay. This was normalcy, something largely missing in Luke's life. It might not be something he craved very often, but that he had it at all was mildly comforting. The sense he felt here was if he needed it, this place would exist forever. Safe and always the same.

***

Had the face of Darth Vader been visible, the man standing in front of him would have seen the Sith Lord's lip curl, felt the angry weight of his glare.

As it was, the reputation of the said Sith Lord was enough to make the man tremble with fear; he didn't need to know the facial expressions of the masked creature (was he even truly human?) to know the anger there.

"So, you have found nothing?" The voice was accompanied by the harsh, ever present breathing. The man wondered how much longer his legs would support him, and how long before his heart gave out. He knew what happened to people who displeased the Lord Vader, but at the rate this session was moving, he'd die of a heart attack long before he could be choked to death.

"N-nothing, m-milord. Only crazy, unsubstantiated rumours."

"You mentioned no rumours in your report."

"They're crazy ramblings of s-superstitious people."

"Tell me." The tone left no room for compromise, and the man knew he would be choked just for thinking about such rubbish, but what the dark lord wants the dark lord gets.

"T-there's a woman, and her two children, l-lived here about s-six years the locals say, a local man – previously a hermit if you believe r-r-rumours – comes and visits them regularly s-stays a few days and disappears again." He paused.

"Is that all?" The menace in Vader's tone was terrifying.

"N-no, b-but it's crazy." The silence indicated he should continue, "there are s-stories of w-witch-craft and blades made of l-l-light, m-magic. For a planet of lowlifes these are v-very strange and crazy rumours."

"Yes, you keep repeating that. Have you managed to find out anything else? Names perhaps?"

"Only of the h-hermit, milord."

"Yes?"

"They call him 'Crazy Old Ben Kenobi', milord."

"Kenobi?"

"Yes, milord." He wasn't dead, yet, even after giving the crazy information, and he felt himself calm a little.

"Do you have a location for this hermit?"

"It's out beyond the Dune Sea, milord."

"Very well. You're dismissed."

"Yes, milord. Thank you, milord."

Dead or not he knew when to leave, so walked out of there as fast he could, away from the terrifying visage.

***

 Darth Vader had much to think about.

Maybe his master had not been as wrong as he had first thought. There appeared to be Jedi here. And one of them was a hermit called Kenobi. How convenient.

The woman and her children would need to be dealt with, but first he would have to get a more reliable source than the idiot who had just reported to him.

****

**A/N:** Once again I really appreciate any reviews. Please review. Thank you.


	9. Part Two: Chapter Seven

**Email: kazzy@whoever.com**

**Rating: PG******

**Summary: If every decision we make determines where we end up, what if instead of doing one thing, we do another? Obi-Wan and the Jedi never knew that Padmé was pregnant with Anakin's children. _"Maybe you're just scared of being around real pilots for once, and there's no-one about who'll be properly impressed, or infuriated when you show off."_**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars. No, really, I don't. However, if someone would like to bequeath it to me, I wouldn't object. ******

**Notes: _Read and Review._ **

*****

Chapter Seven 

We are all afraid for our confidence, for the future, for the world. That is the nature of the human imagination. Yet every person, every civilisation, has gone forward because of its engagement with what it has set itself to do. – Martin Dies

When Leia woke the next morning she found that she was alone in the room she usually shared with her brother, when they stayed with their aunt and uncle. Stretching out her senses she found him outside. He was…not upset, precisely, more…contemplative…in a less-than-happy way.

She sent a tendril of thought out to him, a query. He responded with mild reassurance, but was still distracted. She was awake now – she may as well go and see what was on his mind. Being able to communicate with the Force was part of who they were, but sometimes it was simply easier to talk out loud.

She dressed and winced slightly – it would be nice to live on world where water was taken for granted and not considered one the best luxuries. A hot shower every morning… She greeted her aunt who was cooking the morning meal, indicating that Uncle Own and the hired boy, Brand, were already out working and would be back later. Was everyone except her up and about?

Once she stepped outside the heat hit her. The suns had barely risen and already it was like being in a pressure cooker. One more thing she wouldn't miss.

Luke was standing with his back to the suns and was staring out across the open sand, she could feel the depth of his contemplation like it was a third sun. She felt his uncertainty and concern – mostly for herself and their mother. But it was all so cut off. It bothered her when he did this. Dropped into a state that wasn't quite meditating, just a distant floating sense. He was harder to reach like this. It scared her, made her wonder if he'd ever walk off and forget about her. She didn't think she could bear losing him.

"Don't think that."

She jumped. "Luke?"

"I'm not going anywhere – not without you." He turned to face her, but then had to twist his head so his eyes were out of the sun. He held his hand out to her and she gladly took it, coming to stand beside him, resting her head on his shoulder. He was taller than her now – for the longest time she'd been the tall one – and he still had a way to go. "Don't think I wouldn't miss you as much you would miss me."

Neither said anything for a moment. Luke broke the silence, finally bring forward what was bothering him, "Are we doing the right thing, Leia, by joining the rebellion?"

She frowned. "Of course."

There was a note of wistfulness in his tone, as if there were something missing in their decision, but he didn't know what. "Truly?"

"Absolutely." She didn't even think about her answer. This was the right thing to do. "What's wrong, Luke? Last night you were so sure – or at least from the way you spoke to Uncle Owen you were." It hadn't been pleasant. In some ways it had been much worse than the discussion with Obi-Wan and their mother. 

Owen Lars had made his opinion of their decision perfectly clear. It was irresponsible, foolhardy, would have them end up like their father and destroy their mother.

***

_"She's letting us go."_

_"She also let your father get away with stupidity, and look where that got them both."_

***

She shook off the memory as Luke spoke. "I don't know," he answered her. "I can't put my finger on it, but something's wrong. Very wrong. I'm not sure if it has anything to do with the rebellion or if it's something else, but I'm definitely getting this from somewhere." 

"Maybe you're just scared of being around real pilots for once, and there's no-one about who'll be properly impressed, or infuriated when you show off." She tried to bring him out of his melancholy by gently teasing, and was rewarded by his responding amusement. 

He snorted, his mood automatically lightening with the thoughts of flying and real pilots, but he was ready with a taunt of his own, "Oh yeah, and who'd listen to a politician from the back end of nowhere?" He knew how much she wanted to go into politics, but while the Emperor was around their mother had definitely forbade it. Maybe she could do something for the Rebel Alliance, despite them being a mainly military order. 

"Hey!" She pulled away and whacked him lightly on the back of his head, "Watch your mouth, insolent child."

He smiled at her, "You'll knock 'em all dead, Leia. They won't know what hit them."

She smiled back at him – what would she do without her brother? Then she caught it, the trickling sense of dread, slowly seeping through her, building up, choking, swamping. She nearly gagged and felt Luke do the same.

Now, they could identify it as being from here – nothing to do with joining the rebellion, at all. It came from out across the desert, from beyond Anchorhead, from Mos Eisely. Where their mother and Obi-Wan were. Shouting desperate goodbyes to their confused aunt, they both jumped into the speeder and shot at full speed toward the distant city.

_Something's wrong. Very wrong._

***

In the apartment where she lived with her children, and regularly hosted Obi-Wan Kenobi, Padmé Skywalker sat and watched while a dignified Jedi Knight – possibly the last of his order – attempted to make her a meal. She was beginning to wonder how he'd managed to survive this long if this was any indication of his skill as a chef. Maybe that – and not the fact he had to teach her children – was why he was around so much.

Or, maybe he was just trying to cheer her up.

Whatever, she appreciated his efforts, no matter what exactly he was trying to achieve. The amusement factor was acting as a temporary balm to her aching heart. Perhaps he was trying to apologise for the 'discussion' they'd had the night before. Which had started out as being about letting the twins go and ended with Anakin. Even after all these years, through everything they'd suffered together, as close friends as they'd become, Anakin stood between them. Dividing them. Son. Husband. Apprentice. Lover. Friend. Father. Betrayer.

Just as she was about to go back into her dark thoughts, Obi-Wan flipped something into the air and it landed on the floor with a wet plop. She stared at it – a half cooked egg. Okay, something was definitely going on here; Obi-Wan was a Jedi – his reflexes were exemplary. He wouldn't have missed it except on purpose, but his face was a picture so she'd try to play along. _Obi-Wan – playful? _

"Obi-Wan, that was an egg – you don't flip eggs."

"I thought you flipped all frying things?"

"No. Omelettes and pancakes are flipped." She was vaguely grateful for the home she'd grown up in and the cooking lessons her mother had insisted on

"Oh." He looked confused, then shrugged, cleaned up the mess on the floor and attempted to fry another egg.

"It is a good thing my children can't see you now. They'd never be able to respect you again. They've been cooking decent meals since they were five years old," she teased him lightly.

"Which is why every time I take them somewhere, I get them to cook. I just tell them that it's a good way to keep themselves in touch with reality. I think I used to tell the same thing to An…" 

He trailed off and Padmé sighed – they never could go very far without _him_ bothering them. She was tired of it. Tired of her husband hanging over everything she did. She looked directly at Obi-Wan and keeping her tone light, said, "Yes, I think I remember him mentioning once that he was doubly glad his mother taught him to cook." She shook her head and allowed her tone to take on a note of seriousness, "It was something, one of the few things that we could relate to from our childhoods."

"I never really thought of it that way. I don't suppose you had many common experiences. Can I ask what you talked about?" His tone was tentative, unsure of the ground he was walking, but then it changed as if he felt that he may as well just dive straight on into the water, "Or did you talk much at all?" The last part was sly, and she was surprised, but not offended, and then surprised at not being offended. Thinking back to the early days of her marriage was unexpectedly not as painful as when she remembered 'Anakin', himself. 

She, as her previous stations demanded, ignored his last statement, but did so in a slightly mocking manner, "We did talk a lot about the past. You, sometimes. Occasionally he'd tell me stories from around the Temple, but we didn't discuss the Jedi much, or the Senate. We made that rule – no politics and no Jedi. He always asked after my family, particularly my nieces Pooja and Ryoo." That memory was briefly painful. "The people he flew with in the war. We did have a few common friends, you know. Things that happened in our daily lives. What we wanted to do when the war was over. I don't know, it's such a long time ago, now." They had talked at length about having children, but it had been something they'd decided to think about more, once the war was over.

"Well, it's nice to know my Padawan could actually talk and not just shout all the time, then," said Obi-Wan as he set a plate in front of her. 

Had he scrambled them, or fried them? It was impossible to define, but he sat across from her digging into the plate with relish. She tentatively tried her own – then wished she hadn't. Pushing her plate aside, she wondered how to respond to Obi-Wan's last comment, or even if she should.

However, as it turned out, the problem was academic. Obi-Wan was just scraping the last of his eggs of the plate when his head snapped up and his eyes narrowed. "Trouble."

Padmé began to panic, "Luke— Leia—"

"No. Not yet." His voice was calm, but urgent. 

The old instinct to grab her babies and run briefly surged through Padmé, but one look at Obi-Wan quelled the desire. He was sitting quietly, eyes now shut – searching? She kept herself as still as she could, not wanting to disturb him, not wanting to break the spell and find out whatever horror had come to destroy her life again. _And things were going so well…_

When Obi-Wan turned back to her he looked so weary, as if the knowledge he'd found had somehow aged him. When he spoke again she knew why, and all he needed to say was one word, one name, "Vader."

For a second she was too horrified to even react. Well over a decade of public service had taught Padmé how to hide all emotions if need be. No training, no galactic Senate, could have prepared her to disguise this. She felt her legs collapse and grabbed at the table, managing to pull herself into a chair. _He's here._

She wondered if she was dying. Of a heart attack or something. Perhaps soul-destroying bacteria. "Padmé? It's all right."

Her temper flared, "How can it be?" and then died just as suddenly. "He's here. He's going to kill us all."

"No. Call the twins. Tell them to get off-world quickly. There's a good chance he hasn't come specifically for them. Or at least doesn't know how to find them. But that won't last. They're very bright presences in the Force. Padmé. Padmé! Listen to me. Luke and Leia, they're the important ones. We can get them away – we have to. Then we'll worry about ourselves."

"I don't want to lose my children, Obi-Wan." The ultimate irony. Losing them to their father, a man who was supposed to protect them, not hurt them. Not steal them. 

"You won't." Technically, that was not a promise that was his to make. "But you need to call the twins and tell them to get away. Then you have to clear this apartment of everything that could possibly tell Vader any of us were here." 

She nodded numbly, knowing the drill – how many times had she done this now? How many times had she cleaned out her apartment, taking holos and the few spare belongings, shoving them in a bag, then fleeing, sometimes scant moments before storm-troopers came looking? And when – she found she now had to ask, as she faced a task many times greater than before – had this hot, dry, dustbowl of a planet become home?

Pressing down the panic she focused herself. There was too much at stake for her to start having hysterics now. She let the powerful Senator Amidala – the alter-ego that she could still call on – take over. "Luke! Leia!" She called in the commlink as soon as one of them picked up.

"Yeah, Mom?" Leia. "We're headed home." Luke must be driving, then. Made sense, he could pull speed and skill out of a vehicle that hadn't been seen on Tatooine since Anakin and his pod-racer. They had probably picked up on the same danger Obi-Wan had. She could only hope that they didn't know enough to focus it clearly to get a reading on Vader. It would be just her luck to have one or both of them think they could handle a confrontation with him. Their father. Her—_Padmé Skywalker, don't you start this again – you need your wits about you!_

"No! You can't come here. Leia, this is very important: don't come home. I want you and Luke to get to _Bouncer_ and get off-world. Obi-Wan and I will meet you in the rendezvous point soon. Just go."

"What? Mom? Why? Something's wrong, Luke and I are coming to help—"

"No, Leia, you are not listening to me. The Empire is here. Get off-world. Go to the place I always told you to go if we got separated and stay there for three days. If neither Obi-Wan or I show up, then you and Luke go on to your meeting. Do you remember where you have to go?"

There was a pause and when Leia spoke her voice was a little thick as if she were fighting tears. Understandable, given that if things headed the wrong way today, it would be her first real battle. Understandable, given that she might never see her mother, or teacher again, "Yes, but—"

"No buts, Leia. I love you and Luke so very much, remember that."

"We love you, too, Mom. May the Force be with you."

"And with you." She switched the link off. And turned to Obi-Wan, who had already run over the kitchen with cleaning agents. A vital activity, provided you had the time. She left him to his work. You never knew when a stray piece of DNA would be discovered, and they really did not need that. First in the main room, and then in the bedrooms, she worked as quickly as possible, grabbing holos and other odd objects that could lead to discovery.

If the Empire did not know it was her, then she would be safe enough, provided they had nothing to check things against, but if they were looking for her or Obi-Wan, the smallest object left might be disastrous. 

She never noticed the holo lying behind Leia's dresser, where it had fallen when Luke had carelessly knocked it off after dumping some data chips there the day before.

The complete job was done in less than half an hour. Then they were out the door, and headed for the spaceport where they hoped to procure a ship, or at least a ride on a transport. Preferably one completely independent from the twins, to get them away as fast as possible. Obi-Wan had explained that separate from Luke and Leia he could divert the search; and if Padmé were not near them, should they be discovered, Vader might never learn of their heritage.

***

Later the twins sat in the cockpit of the _World Bouncer_; fighting worry for Obi-Wan and their mother and apprehension for their new life, while the star streams of hyperspace sped unconcernedly past them. 

Luke sighed and turned to his sister, safe at last, "What do you think it's like there?" he asked.

"Where?"

"The planet we're headed for, uh, Naboo, and who do you think those people are that we're supposed to go to?"

Leia shrugged, "No idea, but I remember reading something about the planet: no molten core, lots of water—" She paused for a moment and grinned at Luke. That made it about as different from Tatooine as you could get, "Um, I remember the file I found had huge gaps in its information. Oh, I know, something very important: strong Imperial presence."

"What?!" Luke choked out, more than a little shocked. After the lengths their mother had gone to keep them away from Imperials, she was sending them directly into a bunch of them.

Leia's reaction was more sedate. After all, this was information that she already knew. "I know." She waved a hand at her brother, indicating she was just as confused. "I can't work it out, but she obviously has her reasons. She must think we'll be safe with those people. Jobal and Ruwee Naberrie. I wonder who they are."

*****

**A/N: _Please review._**


	10. Part Two: Chapter Eight

**Email:** kazzy@whoever.com

**Rating: **PG****

**Summary:** If every decision we make determines where we end up, what if instead of doing one thing, we do another? Obi-Wan and the Jedi never knew that Padmé was pregnant with Anakin's children. _"Come sit down and we'll try and explain it to you."_

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Star Wars. No, really, I don't. However, if someone would like to bequeath it to me, I wouldn't object. ****

**Notes:** _Read and review_ (you know you want to). 

*****

"To put the world in order we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order we must first put the family in order, we must cultivate our personal life; and to cultivate our personal life, we must first set our hearts right." -Confucius

Padmé and Obi-Wan's journey was much more difficult than the twins. There was a ride on a transport, which would take them somewhere that would be able to take them to Naboo within the three days. Unfortunately, the transport was full and only with a significant bribe would they be able to get aboard. To make things worse all of Padmé's savings would still allow only one of them to be able to take this ride.

They were currently trying to decide whom it would be that went to the twins. Padmé knew Obi-Wan needed to complete their training, that out of all of them she was the most expendable. He was disagreeing with her, saying that the only way to keep the twins safe was to distract Vader long enough so they could leave completely and cleanly. According to him, he was the best distraction.

"I fail to see how you think that," Padmé bristled slightly at the supposed implication that Obi-Wan would distract her husband more than she would. Then she wondered why she was getting so upset: did she really want to be Sithbait? 

Obi-Wan shook his head, "I've been able to sense Darth Vader since he arrived; it would be arrogance to assume that he could not sense me as well. However, as far as we know he does not know to look for you and I think we can say he would not recognise the twins for who they are if he came across them. If he saw you, on the other hand, then he might make a few more accurate guesses than we could want."

"So you want me to abandon the only father figure my children have ever known to a man who will probably do his best to kill you?" She bit out her temper rising.

He looked tired. "Better father _figure_ than actual mother," was his answer. "Besides which, I can fight him. You may be an excellent shot with a blaster and a superb fighter, but that can only do so much. A lightsabre battle may just tie him up long enough."

She realized that he wasn't expecting to come out of this alive. He knew that this battle would kill either him or Darth Vader. It could be no other way. While he was alive Vader would never allow his old master to escape; and the truth lay in the fact that as good as Obi-Wan was with a sabre, Vader was equally good. Only younger and more willing to use resources that Obi-Wan would not touch. She was afraid that he would sacrifice himself to save her and the twins.

"I still don't think—"

He reached out a placed a hand on her arm, "I know, and your concern means a lot to me, but I must do this."

There were many things she could have said still. The big one being that she had married Anakin, and that she could claim responsibility for how the galaxy had turned out. She could claim the right to add the satisfaction of having closed one unfinished episode in her life. She could point out her duty to see her to children's safety. In the end, however, it would be pointless, whatever she could use, then Obi-Wan could turn against her. 

She felt her eyes fill as she began to accept what had to happen, "I can't convince you otherwise?"

"No." Neither even pretended he would survive the coming confrontation, and Padmé truly believed his death would be at least partly of his own design. As it would have been hers had she been the one to find Vader.

There was one last problem, something of the utmost importance. "What about the twins? Their training?" Two half trained Jedi – particularly powerful, stubborn and idealistic Jedi – running around the galaxy was not very reassuring, even if they were her own children.

"Master Yoda is on Dagobah, when the time is right they can go – separately – to see him. He will help them; finish their training. You don't need to worry about it; I promise it will be taken care of when the time is right. Now, if you want to make that transport you need to leave."

Crying in earnest now, she reached up and pulled him into a tight hug. His arms went around her holding her close. For a moment they just stood there, giving each other strength for their coming battles and also simply saying goodbye. The last meeting of two friends, who had survived this far, but who had finally reached the end. No matter which way they turned now they would probably never see each other again.

As they pulled apart Padmé placed a kiss on Obi-Wan's cheek and he smiled down at her, "Goodbye Padmé Skywalker. May the force be with you always."

"Goodbye Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, and may the force be with you."

She turned and walked to where the last straggling passengers were boarding the transport. She didn't look back, but climbed up into the dark, cool recesses of the ship.

***

Obi-Wan watched Padmé as she disappeared into the transport. She had so much courage, both physically and emotionally, something which he was eternally glad that the twins had inherited. She would have faced Darth Vader, and done so unflinchingly, believing that in doing so she could protect her children.

He knew she believed he was taking himself to his death and that he was sacrificing himself for her and her children. Maybe he was. But he did not intend to lose this battle. He was aware that there was every chance his old pupil would kill him, and that was certainly what the Sith Lord would be aiming for – Obi-Wan Kenobi's death. Still, that did not mean he had to think he would die. He'd fought and killed Sith before. There was still a chance he could win. Darth Vader – as Anakin Skywalker – had been taught by Obi-Wan, and while the boy had exceptional skills, he could rarely best his master.

No, Obi-Wan did not intend to die. However, if he did, he would do so knowing that at least Padmé, Luke and Leia would have enough time to escape.

With that last thought, he sent out a call, making sure the recipient was well aware of who was calling him and where he had to go. Breaking the brief link, Obi Wan headed out towards the Dune Sea, as far away from civilisation – or at least what passed for it on Tatooine – as he could.

***

The incompetents who served the Empire on this planet had finally managed to find the location of the woman and her two children. Unfortunately, the three had caught wind of the impending trouble and disappeared. This was not helpful for Darth Vader's temper, as the man who'd brought him the news had abruptly discovered. Their apartment had been searched and Darth Vader had requested all of their remaining belongings to be brought to him. 

The last box had just been set down when he received the call. Kenobi.

Aware that this was probably just a ruse to help the woman and her children escape he nonetheless could not resist the need to end things with his old master once and for all. The galaxy would be a better place without Obi-Wan Kenobi in it.

Without a word to any of the scurrying stormtroopers and other ranking officials Vader strode out, leaving to find and destroy one of the last links to his past.

***

The evening had been pleasant, so they'd chosen to eat out doors. Sola and Darred had joined her and Ruwee for the meal. Pooja had been studying for her final exams, and Ryoo was somewhere on the other side of the planet dissecting bugs or something. The talk had been light, and enjoyable, no mention of the more serious topics that often bothered the family.

Jobal was at the sink washing the dishes, and Ruwee was drying them. Sola had offered to stay and help with the cleaning, but it had been nearly time for the planet-wide curfew and it was never wise to be caught outside during it. The storm troopers that patrolled the streets of Naboo, Theed in particular, were some of the best: hard to bribe, unusually alert, and had excellent aim. So Jobal sent her daughter and son-in-law home, with their guilty promises to help 'next time' ringing in her ears.

She realised that she'd forgotten one the bowls and went outside to retrieve it and there they were – two people. They were just standing there, at the edge of her garden, watching her. She looked closer at them and realised they were young, barely more than children, and there was something vaguely familiar about them. A boy and a girl. Him with blond hair that hung in his blue eyes and her with dark hair and eyes.

"Can I help you?" Jobal asked softly, wondering why anyone would be away from their home so close to curfew. The two exchanged a glance and Jobal saw that they were nervous, afraid even. There were shadows under their eyes, and suspicion in the way they looked at her. "I won't hurt you." She said softly, the mother in her winning out, wanting to protect these young strangers for some reason she couldn't quite put her finger on.

At this the boy straightened and the girl scowled. Jobal hid a smile. Teenagers were all alike. Imply that they weren't the toughest beings in the galaxy, incapable of handling everything themselves (except chores and homework), and their hackles went up. The girl spoke first, "Are you Jobal Naberie?" Jobal heard the challenge in the voice, but also the fear. _What did these two have to be afraid of?_

"I am." She replied. "And who might you be?" The accent wasn't from Theed, or even from Naboo, but she didn't catch enough of it to be able to place it. Interesting – so they weren't natives, which was unusual these days. Theed had once been a favourite tourist stop. Not anymore. Imperial occupation, almost to the point of martial law had put a stop to that.

The girl faltered a little, and Jobal got the feeling that she didn't want to give out her name, "Uh, I'm Leia, and this is Luke – our mother said we should come here if we were ever in trouble. Do you know her – Padmé Skywalker?"

The name hit her hard, and for a second she had to fight to breathe. "Are you all right, ma'am? Ma'am?" Luke spoke for the first time, and he sounded anxious, but Jobal couldn't answer. Hand covering her mouth she just stared at them in outright shock, unable to move. 

_It couldn't be. Could it? That would be impossible. They've been gone so long I'd thought they were all dead._ But she looked closer and began to pick out details that marked them as being who they claimed to be. The depth of the brown in Leia's eyes the slant of Luke's cheekbones. She felt gentle hands lifting her the bench seat beside the outside table, "Oh my stars," she whispered, more to herself than anything.

"We're sorry," said Leia, "we didn't mean to upset you, we'll go now if you want."

"Oh, no," Jobal said, "Stars, no child, you mustn't go now, curfew's in place." She caught Luke's hand as the boy tried to move away. These were her grandchildren, she hadn't seen them in sixteen years – she was not letting them out of her sight.

"We don't want to be any trouble to you—" Luke started.

"Trouble? No, not you. Never." The thought briefly crossed her mind that this could be a trick, something Palpatine had set up to trap her and Ruwee into giving up secrets, revealing that they were seditionists. Possible Rebel members. She knew what was believed of her family. Sending them their apparently lost grandchildren would be a good way to get to them. But the more she looked at Luke and Leia's anxious faces the more she began to see her daughter in them.

They still looked so worried, terrified, like they were going to bolt any second now. She smiled at them as warmly as she could, and stood, brushing imaginary dust off her skirt, "Please come inside. You've obviously had a trying day, and I'll bet you're hungry, besides there's someone inside who would like to meet you." She gently took them by an arm each, much the way they'd helped her earlier, propelling them inside.

In the kitchen, Ruwee had just about finished the drying, and didn't bother to look up, concentrating instead on the crystal jug which had been Jobal's parents wedding gift to them. "Did you find it?" He asked, as he placed the jug on the counter and looked up. Jobal was momentarily confused before she remembered she'd originally gone to find the bowl. But Ruwee's own expression displayed confusion as he took in the figures on either side of his wife. "Who…?" He asked.  

"Ruwee, it's them! Luke and Leia!" Jobal exclaimed and then saw her husband do all the things she'd probably done earlier. He took a good look at the two, blanched and grasped the counter top to keep from falling.

"H-how can it be?" He moved over to the three of them and looked closely at the twins. Luke and Leia, to their credit, bore it well, although it was obvious they didn't like such careful scrutiny. Jobal could see them itching to flee. They both seemed very skittish, even if it wasn't openly so. "It has to be you." Ruwee declared. Jobal nodded, the more she looked at the twins, the more she could see her daughter. She hadn't known Anakin well enough to see much more than the obvious similarities between him and Luke.

"I don't understand." Broke in Leia, frustrated. "I'm sorry – but who are you?"

"And why would Mom send us to a planet full of, of, well of Imperials?" On the last word Luke looked around guiltily as if expecting the said Imperials to jump out and arrest him.

"She didn't tell you who we are, did she?" Jobal could feel the pieces slipping into place as things began to make sense, and it made her heart ache just to have an idea of what the last sixteen years must have been like for her daughter and grandchildren. The secrecy, hiding, running. These two did not even know who their family were.

"Mom never tells us anything." Leia said, and Luke scowled, nodding in agreement.

She indicated the main room, through the double doors. "Come sit down and we'll try and explain it to you."

*****

**A/N:** And there I stop. Next chapter as soon as I can. **_Please Review!_**


	11. Part Two: Chapter Nine

**Email:** kazzy@whoever.com

**Rating: **PG

**Summary:** If every decision we make determines where we end up, what if instead of doing one thing, we do another? Obi-Wan and the Jedi never knew that Padmé was pregnant with Anakin's children. _"Considering Leia's state of mind, Luke decided a locked refresher door between him and his sister was probably a wise idea."_

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Star Wars. No, really, I don't. However, if someone would like to bequeath it to me, I wouldn't object. ****

**Notes:** A small amount of dialogue taken from "A New Hope". Character Death (no, I'm not going to tell you who). 

Sorry, this took such a long time to get out, but I had a rather nasty case of writer's block. Then there is this place called university…

*****

"Other things may change us, but we start and finish with family." –Erma Bombeck 

When Luke woke the next morning he didn't immediately rise, as he usually did. Instead, he lay staring at the ceiling, still trying to assimilate the information he'd been given the night before. Grandparents – that was a lot to take in. He'd never had grandparents before. A mother and a dead father, an aunt and an uncle, and Obi-Wan, but not grandparents. There'd been graves for his father's mother and Uncle Owen's father at the farm, but nothing more.

He still had many questions burning in his mind, as he knew Leia, asleep in the next room, did. There hadn't been many asked last night. Their grandparents had told them a few things briefly and answered a few questions, asking some of their own. Mostly, though, their grandmother had cut the conversation short and put the twins to bed, claiming they looked exhausted. Luke had to admit she'd been right, he'd fallen asleep almost straight away, sleeping deeply through the night and, to tell by the amount of light, a good part of the morning. 

Luke was also desperately worried about his mom and Obi-Wan, wondering if they were safe. He gathered all the worry to him and then worked on releasing it as he had been taught. It worked. Sort of. He hoped they were all right, but until he could see them again would not be reassured. 

A light tap on the door startled him, but he called out for the person to enter, sitting up and checking on Leia – still asleep, but getting ready to wake up. His grandmother poked her head round the door and smiled warmly at him, "Good morning, Luke. I've made some breakfast, if you'd like?"

"Yes, please!" He said, standing. She handed him a towel, which he took gratefully before heading for the refresher to have a shower.

He thumped on sister's door, loudly, as he passed and felt her startle into complete wakefulness, with an exclamation, mentally letting him know exactly what she thought of him. He smiled sweetly at his grandmother who was watching him with an amused look. "She's awake now, grandmother." At the last word her smile increased.

"I'm sure she is. Now, go and get cleaned up before we have a murderous young woman on our hands." Considering Leia's state of mind, Luke decided a locked refresher door between him and his sister was probably a wise idea.   

***

When Leia reached the table Luke had already managed to devour half of a plate of food. Their grandmother placed a second plate in front of Leia, and she was amazed at the food – there was so much of it. The twins had frequently lived in places where food was scarce, and often had to be tightly rationed; there had even been a few – thankfully rare – instances where they had simply had to go hungry, sometimes because of price and sometimes just because their mother couldn't get a job. Leia didn't think she'd ever seen so much food at any one time – not even on birthdays – before.

Come to think of it, their grandmother had been intent on feeding them last night as well. The food was a lot richer than what they usually ate. Luke shouldn't be shoving it down like that. As soon as their grandmother was out of the room for a moment Leia kicked Luke's ankle. "Ow!" he hissed, glaring, "what'd you do that for?"

"Watch what you're eating Luke, you'll make yourself sick."

"I'm fine, Leia, I don't need you breathing over my shoulder all the time." But he did slow down.

The food was good. She had to admit that. Her eyes widened as her grandmother placed yet more food on the table in front of them, "Grandmother, I'm sorry, but this is too much food."

Luke nodded in agreement, and, Leia noticed, he had slowed his pace right down, now, "We don't usually eat this much—"

"—at once anyway."

Their grandmother sniffed, "No wonder you're both so tiny, you're mother hasn't been feeding you enough."

Leia bristled slightly; feeling Luke do the same, at the implication their mother hadn't been taking care of them. But then a smooth voice interrupted, "Ah, leave them be, Jobal. They could eat all the food in the house and you'd still be wanting to lay more in front of them, and Padmé was always small anyway."

"That's true. But the two of you really should eat more," she directed to the twins, "I wouldn't want you to go hungry." Leia shook her head, and Luke mumbled something that could've been 'we're fine'.

"Good morning Luke, Leia." Said their grandfather.

"'Morning grandfather." Said Luke. 

"Good morning." Echoed Leia.

"Jobal," said her husband, turning to her, "Sola's left a message for you to call her back."

She nodded, "I suppose it's a good idea to tell her about these two as well." At the twins confusion, she clarified, "Sola's your mother's sister, she's married, and has two daughters, Pooja's just finishing her degree at the university and Ryoo's off studying bugs in a swamp somewhere."

Leia choked on the sweet fruit juice she'd just sipped, Luke – mouth currently empty – was a bit more coherent, "More relatives!" was all he could manage, though.

"Yes," answered Ruwee, as Jobal patted the spluttering Leia on the back and offered her a glass of water, "you're going to be a wonder for a few days, I'm afraid." Neither twin, even the usually eloquent Leia knew quite what to say to that – their mother had a whole family she had never even mentioned. When Leia could breathe again Jobal exited to go make her call.

Something occurred to Leia then, and she could tell Luke was wondering about it, too. He met her eyes across the table and she felt the slight nudge through the Force, "Grandfather?" She asked.

"Yes, Leia?" He smiled at her from his seat at the table; she noticed that neither him nor their grandmother was eating, so she assumed they'd eaten earlier.

"What do you know about our father?" The words came out in a rush, and Leia realised she sounded nervous, which wasn't something that happened very much anymore. She could normally disguise what she was feeling from both her face and voice. Luke set down the fruit he'd been eating and turned his complete attention to their grandfather.

"Anakin?" Ruwee asked and Leia felt a flash of triumph – mirrored by Luke's – so that _had_ been his name. Anakin Skywalker.

"Yeah," said Luke, "We don't know much about him. Only that Mom hates to talk about him; Obi-Wan says he's dead, but that he was a great man and Jedi; Uncle Owen just used to say we'd end up like him if we weren't careful." Leia glared at him across the table _idiot_, he'd given away too much information, now their grandfather knew what they knew and could work out what to tell to them and what not to tell them. Luke, her clunk-head brother, ignored her airily from the other side of the table.

However, either their grandfather didn't catch the implication of Luke's words, or he saw no reason to be reticent. "I'm afraid I can't tell you much. We didn't know him well. We didn't even know he was married to your mother until she turned up here, pregnant. We met him twice, the first time he was the Jedi assigned to protect your mother from assassins and bounty hunters directly before the clone war, and he didn't stay long. The second time, I believe he had some leave time and he visited her here. Looking back, I'm sure they didn't mean to be seen together then – Jobal and I just happened to meet them walking in the street. They covered it well, though. Not that it matters much, now. 

"He always struck me as being a good person. Absolutely devoted to your mother, which seems strange, as no one knew they were married. Very serious, particularly for someone so young – he wasn't too much older than the two of you are now; but there was something shimmering under the surface, like he didn't like to stay still for very long. I'm sorry, I can't tell you much more than that. I really didn't know much more than that, as I said I only met him twice and your mother was always so tight lipped over him." He shook his head.

Both twins could tell that it was the truth. It was somewhat surprising that these people had never known they had a son-in-law, but then their mom was very good at keeping secrets. Jobal bustled in then, telling them the visitors would be here in half an hour. She cleared the table and refused offers of help from both twins, instead, dragging her hapless husband up to help her. Luke and Leia excused themselves, heading to the garden, looking for an opportunity to stretch their muscles in a few basic exercises.

***

Nobody could find the Lord Vader anywhere. He had apparently vanished without a word to anyone. Several aides were close to panic, knowing that if the Emperor called to speak to his most trusted servant there would be trouble. Luckily, so far there had been no call and the upside, Vader was not around to vent his anger on anyone.

Finally, someone was found who had seen the Lord Vader leaving through the gates. The troubled guards were questioned again and were discovered to be slightly disorientated with no knowledge of the dark lord passing them. Those who had worked closely with Darth Vader over the years, knew this was not to be questioned – in his presence strange things happened. Those from Tatooine were disbelieving, wanting explanations but the obvious fear of their counter parts was enough to discourage them.

In the end it was decided that a discreet watch be kept over the streets. Lord Vader would return in time.

***

Lord Vader had every intention of returning. However, he had every intention of killing Obi-Wan Kenobi first.

His old master waited for him out beyond the Dune Sea, sitting quietly on a flat rock, crossed legged and eyes closed. At Vader's approach he opened his eyes and looked straight into his ex-apprentice's mask. Vader had he been any less secure might have wondered if the Jedi could see through the dark mask. He may have been reminded of his old days as the Master's Padawan. As it was, he suppressed all emotions except those that would help him in the coming battle: anger and the faded betrayal.

"Obi-Wan," he hissed.

"Hello, Darth," responded the other man.  

He had been waiting for this confrontation for seventeen years, ever since Obi-Wan had watched him fall into the lava pit. Watched as Anakin was burned away slowly. The deadly rage of the Sith Lord increased. He did not regret Anakin's death, but rather that a memory of the man still existed.

With a snap-hiss he ignited his blade and slashed violently at Obi-Wan. The older man blocked the attack, and using the resistance created to push himself away, rolling on the rock and landing on his feet, a small distance from Vader. Just out of reach. The armoured man sought to remedy this, yet the older man stepped back again. 

Confusion briefly took Vader – Obi-Wan would not be afraid, it was not his way and even the awe-inspiring Sith Lord could admit this. So, why was he backing away, if not through fear? The confusion gave way to anger and he advanced only to have the other man step back further.

"Afraid, old man?" He sneered.

"Of you? No."

"You're running away." Indeed, their strange dance continued – for every step Vader took, sabre extended, Obi-Wan took a step back, sabre lit but it's blade lowered. Obi-Wan made a gesture that could have been an agreement. Vader tried again, "Where is the woman and her children?" For the first time he felt a flicker of something from the other man, but it was gone so fast he could not identify it.

This time, however, when he stepped up close Obi-Wan did not step back. "They are not your concern." The man replied and Vader could sense that even though his old master displayed no emotion his composure had broken up slightly. He lifted his blade and pushed it forward, only to have it expertly parried and pushed aside. Grudgingly, he had to admit that his old master had lost none of his skill – but would the older man be able to maintain this under the force of the ability that had been extended in Vader since the men's parting? The Sith Lord doubted it.

Kenobi swung his blade and openly attacked Vader, in the process managing to swing himself around a few degrees so the suns were both at his back. For a while the two men traded blows, parrying the other's blade, but scoring no hits. Their lightsabres met and held, "Where is the woman and her children?" Obi-wan did not answer, but, again, stepped outside Vader's attack to the other side of a rock.

Vader watched his opponent searching for a weakness, or a brief laps in concentration. There was none, whatever had jolted Obi-Wan on the first mention of the woman and her children, no longer startled him, but Vader had expected as much. His old Master had been truly expert when it came to sabre skills. Still Vader watched. Anakin would have attacked immediately trying to drive his enemy off in a burst of anger. Vader knew anger was far better when channelled. The Dark Side had taught him the one thing the Jedi had failed at: control.

Yet…yet he could feel his temper growing at Obi-Wan's apparent indifference.

The older man stayed a sabre's length away from his former apprentice and Vader could feel himself being watched and evaluated, just as he had always felt in Obi-Wan's presence. A burning anger managed to worm it's way through the nearly impenetrable being of Darth Vader, its arrival signalled a slow creeping loss of control. The woman and her children no longer mattered; he could hunt them down later.

His attacks became more forceful, faster. Obi-Wan still managed to hold him beat for beat. How long before the old master crumbled and Vader could get under the defence and kill the man? "How long, Old Man, how long before you fall?" he was surprised at his words, a little shocked. It did not matter, this would be over soon and Obi-Wan would be dead.

His old master's look was inscrutable as ever, as he replied, "I did not come here to die, Darth."

Had anything other than perfect concentration been required, Darth Vader would have shaken his head in disbelief, did this man truly think he could best Darth Vader? He had destroyed the entire Jedi Order, what was one more? "You still have your skill, but your power fades. Prepare to meet the Force Obi-Wan."

Obi-Wan blocked a number of slashes from Vader, but it would appear the Dark Lord had been correct, despite his skill, Obi-Wan faltered slightly. Again, he stepped outside the reach of the Dark Lord, but whether he meant to obtain a respite or to gain an advantage was uncertain. He lifted his blade defensively and his old apprentice could find no more weakness in his pose than he had ever been able to. 

"This is a fight you cannot win, Darth. Your power has matured since I taught you, but I too have grown much since our parting. If my blade finds its mark, you will cease to exist. But if you cut me down, I will only become more powerful. Heed my words."

Obi-Wan had always spouted meaningless non-sense, and Vader now knew to not let it affect him. "Your philosophies no longer confuse me, Old Man, I am the master now," he growled, contemptuous at being able to see through such a simple ploy.

Obi-Wan moved around a stone and somehow he was on a ledge. There appeared to be no surprise, shock, or fear in his countenance, however, as he faced Vader. Taking the opportunity, Vader lunged, Obi-Wan parried, reposted, was met by a counter parry of Vader's, who swung his blade under the older man's, slicing neatly through him. Yet, he met no resistance, either in the form of flesh, or sabre. Obi-Wan Kenobi had disappeared.

The rough cloak tumbled in two pieces to the canyon floor, metres below. Vader watched the place his former master had stood moments before and tried to gauge what had happened; the man was gone. He stretched out his senses, but everything indicated that Obi-Wan no longer existed.

Not entirely sure what to think, Vader turned to leave. He'd spent enough time on this planet. The woman and her children were long gone. Obi-Wan had no doubt sacrificed himself for their sakes. At the same time, the old man was gone now. Vader would have something to report to his master.

***  

On Naboo, Luke and Leia, who were both meditating, stirred, feeling the ripples in the Force. One reached out to see if they could trace its origins; when nothing surfaced they subsided sending the knowledge to the other. Thinking it inconsequential, neither sought to seek further.

*****

**A/N:** I killed Obi-Wan! Oops! Sorry. I understand if you feel your need to express your rage in flame form, but please keep hold of the rotten veges, this is a new shirt. On the other had, praise and chocolate will be warmly received. _Please review._


	12. Part Two: Chapter Ten

**Email:** kazzy@whoever.com

**Rating: **PG

**Summary:** If every decision we make determines where we end up, what if instead of doing one thing, we do another? Obi-Wan and the Jedi never knew that Padmé was pregnant with Anakin's children. _She slipped through the streets of the city she had once had called home._

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Star Wars. No, really, I don't. However, if someone would like to bequeath it to me, I wouldn't object. ****

**Notes: **Sorry this took so long guys but I've had a rather hectic semester. There's more bad news. While chapter eleven is more than half written, I don't know when I'll get time to finish it. Let alone send it to my beta (the wonderful Kathy), and then get it back and make changes. The good news is: there is only a month left of semester, and after that I'm on holiday until March! 

I promise to get the next chapter as soon as possible, but I apologise for all delays. You see, I have this thing where I want to pass ;o).

Thanks to Kathy for the beta!!!

*****

Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family: Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one. – Jane Howard

*****

Jobal glanced out the window at the two in the rear garden. "So they are Jedi," she sighed, as she watched their strange habits.

"We can't know that for sure, Jobal, and I doubt they would so obliging to tell us, even if we asked. In that respect they are their mother's children."

"They move like their father, though."

He regarded the two in the garden, "Don't they just. I bet they were a handful."

"I should hope so!" A note of bitterness crept into her voice. Ruwee wanted to rebuke his wife for speaking like that, but he couldn't quite bring himself to. The last years had been hard, wondering where their daughter was, whether she was safe, or even alive. Not knowing if there were two orphans out there who had no idea who they were and who their mother was. Who their family were. Padmé's disappearance had hurt the whole family and the scars still ached. "But they're Jedi all right, or haven't you been paying attention to what they've said? They've been on Tatooine with Obi-Wan Kenobi – the Jedi – for the last six years. And Anakin was supposed to be a powerful Jedi himself. It all adds up too well."

"Surely Padmé wouldn't be stupid enough to have her children trained as Jedi, after everything that happened?"

A voice surprised them from the door way, "The thing is my sister never quite does what you expect her to, and whatever it is, it's usually the most reckless thing she can. The only thing we can hold on to is this: Padmé is a good person, and always tries to do what's best. We were watched for years while the Empire waited for her to turn up or to contact us. She couldn't have come home. She had to hide them. She knew her responsibilities and she knew how much they would hurt everyone." Sola sighed as she entered the kitchen and looked at her parents, "Sorry, I'll be quiet now, but we have to remember she didn't do this to deliberately cause us pain. It just seems that way."

Sola moved into the kitchen, kissed her mother on the cheek and hugged her father, murmuring her good mornings. Then she picked up a tea towel and started in on the last of the breakfast dishes. "Darred and Pooja send their apologies; Darred has a meeting that he can't get out of, and Pooja's got her final exam."

"Last one? That must be a relief," commented the grandfather.

"You have no idea. Now, we just have to put up with the mood-swings 'til she gets her results. Do you think I could talk to them?" she indicated the two in the yard. It was a mark of the troubles with the Empire and her missing sister that she asked – once she would have just gone out and spoken to them. Sola had been one of those people who had never minded talking to complete strangers; she'd always been cheerful and honest with everyone. Only the disappearance of Padmé and the overwhelming control of Palpatine had managed to quell that.

"Better wait until they come in, Sola," said her father, "they seem very jumpy. They didn't even realise that they had other relatives, and it's been fairly shocking for everyone. Give them a chance to get used to the whole idea."

"I can't believe those are Padmé's twins!" said Sola softly when the two teenagers turned to each other and began to speak quietly.

***

"They're staring at us again," Leia murmured to Luke.

"Can you blame them?" he asked.

"Guess not, but they did know we existed, and we didn't even know that much about them."

He thought about that for a moment or two, "Yeah, but I think they must have thought we were dead or something."

"No wonder they were so shocked to see us, then."

"Hmm. Leia, do you think Mom and Obi-Wan are all right? They're too far away to sense, I know, but I hoped they'd be here sooner than this."

His tone was so distressed that Leia reached out to reassure him, knowing that it would be futile – he could sense that she was just as anxious as he was. She sighed, knowing there was nothing she could to say to Luke that wouldn't sound like a useless platitude. So instead she changed the subject, to keep them both from worrying. "I wish we could do some sabre practise," she said.

"What about hand-to-hand?" he suggested.

"Oh, that's right, you enjoy the taste of dust so much that you like to have me throw you round in some. If you think you can handle it, brother, you're on." She threw the challenge at him, latching on to the perfect distraction – it would not only take their minds off their concerns but it would work through their tensions a little, while removing the last vestiges of cramp from being locked on _World Bouncer_ for too long.

His eyes danced in response, "I am always ready to beat you, sister."

Both stood smoothly, and fell into a defensive pose. Luke was the first to strike, but then that was expected; he usually struck first. Too impatient, Obi-Wan said. Leia knew her defence was excellent and she met his blow with a block and a well-aimed kick. He ducked, sweeping his leg around and under hers to try and unbalance her. She leapt to avoid him, and as he straightened, threw a punch that should have sent him over backwards. But he blocked it and used her weight to spin her out. Leia spun with the movement, and answered his next kick with one of her own.

The fight continued, and the twins, equally matched, pushed their concentration and bodies to the limit. Occasionally, one would score a hit, but neither truly dominated at any one time. This was not a battle for life, neither was it a battle for power, nor was it even about supremacy. This was a battle for courage. It was proof that they could survive. Neither could win it, but both had to; they couldn't do this alone, it had to be done together.

The focus needed for a fight such as this also necessitated the squashing of all their worries and concerns. Outside the battle, there was no planet, no galaxy; the universe existed only in their sphere. That was the point. 

In their absolute state of concentration both forgot their audience, who now stared at them in shock, no doubt in their minds that they were watching the only living Jedi.

***

As the sun set that night, Luke sat and once again contemplated all he had learned. Earlier on, all that he and Leia had been waiting to hear, for their entire lives, was revealed to them. Well, not everything. They still had next to nothing on their father, but they knew so much about their mother. The knowledge, in its presence, was shocking compared to the lack that had previously existed.

His mother had been a Senator of the Republic. Before that, she'd been the Queen of Naboo. Force, a Queen! His mom. Leia seemed to go into a kind of shock at the news, and that was really the only thing that kept Luke sane; laughing at his twin's mental state. Of course, he hadn't done so very loudly. People tended to look at you strangely if you laughed at inappropriate moments. He'd spent a lifetime learning to be invisible; he couldn't change now. Besides, laughing at Leia was like a one-way ticket to a lot of pain.

He had an aunt, an uncle, two cousins, a grandmother and a grandfather. His mother had been a Senator. His mother had been a Queen. The thought was truly alarming. His mom? His _mom_? But that was impossible, right? He knew that she'd worked for the Republic before it's collapse, and was aware that she had probably been quite high up. However, it was a little hard to accept all the things he'd learned from his grandparents and aunt.

He remembered all the times that, as children, he and Leia had imagined some great and glorious past for their mother. She had been a strong senator, standing against Palpatine's regime. A powerful politician who had been forced out of office by a monster. Later, possibly less naïvely, they had wondered if she was always hiding because she was afraid that someone might hurt them. As they'd come to understand their heritage as jedi, they realised that her hiding them was right. Now, they were finding out just how close their childish dreams had come to reality.

His mom had been a Queen, the leader of a planet at fourteen. By the time she was Luke's age – sixteen – she'd been ruling for two years, had already fought battles, and saved many people. She'd outwitted a whole organisation, and forced them off her planet. This planet. What had Luke done in his sixteen years? Well, he was reluctantly joining a rebellion; he was a half-trained Jedi and he could fly a ship. _Fantastic, Luke, that's really great, you are so wonderful. Not._

He now also shared the guilt and pain of the Naboo. Palpatine. The monster who had haunted Luke's childhood came from his mother's planet. Here. According to his grandparents, Palpatine hadn't been back and his only acknowledgement that the planet existed was to send them the best stormtroopers as a guard against rebellion. This did not ease Luke's mind.

He knew his mother would not have sent either him or his sister here if she did not believe it to be safe for them. Still, stormtroopers were a big thing to avoid. They were Palpatine's creatures, and Palpatine was evil. Did this make them evil? They served Palpatine, a sith. Did this damn them for what they did in his service? He saved the question as one to put towards Obi-Wan the next time he saw his teacher.

Obi-Wan, who, as far as Luke knew, had not left Tatooine. Luke worried and he knew Leia did, too. He could feel her on the other side of the house, concern for their mother and Obi-Wan seeping through her in these idle moments, somewhere between dusk and night. He would go to her soon, he could feel her need to be comforted and knew that he, too, wanted someone to comfort him.

He felt lost and strangely adrift because of everything he'd learned today, and everything that was happening. He felt as if he'd dived head first into the Sarlaac pit and he was being slowly digested. Like somewhere, somehow, someone was removing all that was important to him, all that was part of him. There was no escape, he was trapped and he was fading away.

His mother had been a Queen. She came from the same planet as Palpatine.

He remembered all the times she professed a deep-seated anger at the man. There was a bitterness in her that never seemed to sit with his lovely, sad mother.

Leia was in her room, and she was crying. He could feel her try and keep this from him, but he knew. They were twins and the bond between them was so very strong. Pushing aside his own confusion, Luke stood, and went to find his sister.

Later, he would be surprised how much comforting her gave him comfort in return.

***

Nearly two days later, a transport, carrying only a few casual travellers, docked in Theed's main hanger. The travellers all left the ship, happy to be planet-side again. Only one slipped along the edges of the dark dock. The heavy, flowing cloak she wore reinforced the image that she was one of the shadows. 

No one noticed as she slid out the entrance. Not even the highly trained stormtroopers, who kept their keen eyes focused for any sign of anything out of place.

After all, Padmé Amidala Skywalker had spent a good part of her life hiding. She had it down to an art form by now.

On board they had mentioned a curfew, and that the passengers could only leave the transport to be escorted to the nearest hotel, an Imperial addition meant just for this purpose. The passengers couldn't stay on board the transport as it had to leave, but they weren't allowed on the street until morning.

None of this bothered Padmé. She could be inconspicuous if the situation called for it.

Still, she needed to be extra careful. It was not only the Imperials that she had to be careful of – if someone amongst the Naboo recognised her face, then she would be in trouble. 

She slipped through the streets of the city she had once had called home. The feeling of being back filled her with dread and excitement. Anticipation. As she went, occasionally ducking to avoid patrols, she noticed the changes. There were many new, officious looking buildings, additions from the Empire. The older, Naboo style buildings were falling into a state of disrepair. She gathered that, like in most places, money went into the pockets of the Imperial leaders; and these supported their own ends, making sure that where they lived and where they worked was in superior condition. The common people, the people whose homes had been invaded, were left to fall to poverty.

These signs of corrupt government made Padmé angry. She had entered public service at eleven in order to make a difference, to help the people. Those same people suffered now because of crooked officials. For a second, she allowed herself a feeling of hot rage, before it faded into the old guilt that had characterised the last sixteen years.

She had to admit to being worried about her children, as well. She had no real way of knowing if they had made it here. She had no way of knowing that they were safe. For the first time in their lives they were not somewhere that she could instantly see to their immediate safety. It left her feeling hollow, empty, and unsafe herself. She wanted them by her side again, where she could care for them.

Padmé had known that she would have had to face them leaving for a while, even before they had come up with the idea of joining the rebellion. They were Jedi. There was no way to escape it. All they wanted to do was use the ability they had been born with in the way that nature had intended them to. She could, in no way, keep them from their future. She could only hope that they didn't forget her in all the adventures they were going to have.

Suddenly, the finely tuned instinct she had developed warned her. She slipped in to a narrow crevasse between two walls. Footsteps crunched slightly, just beyond, and she could see a glimmer of light. Up ahead of her one of the walls had crumbled, creating a gap. Glad that years of only just having enough had made her slim frame even less, Padmé pushed herself into the gap.

The niche was actually smaller than she had expected and she only just had enough room to crush herself inside. Eyes squeezed tightly shut; she prayed that it would be sufficient to keep her hidden. Memories of all the times she had done this with the twins, when they were young, struck her. Tucking the three of them into impossibly small places, and living on the hope that it would have to do. It had been very difficult at first, with two very small babies, but they had grown up knowing that there were certain times they had to be quiet, no matter what. _That's no life for a child…_

Outside of her closed eyes, it briefly lightened. Then darkened again. A soft murmur of voices; she caught enough to know that one had thought they'd seen her. She squeezed herself yet tighter into her hole. She didn't open her eyes, though. Long practice had taught her that in situations like this relying on your vision could be dangerous – your eyes couldn't see through walls.

So, she listened. There was the soft sound of footsteps moving away, growing fainter. One set or two? They were too quiet to tell. She kept still, kept her hearing forward, and herself pressed into the gap. Light flicked across her eyelids, again. She wanted to gasp, but knew that it would be a mistake. The slightest sound from her could be caught. There was no sound from beyond. Then, there it was, a soft sigh, and footsteps heading away.

When nothing tingled her hearing for more than fifteen minutes, she moved slowly out of her little hole, still listening carefully as she went. Just before she rounded the corner, she paused again. Nothing. Breathing only the softest of sighs she moved out again.

The street outside was strangely open, and she wished she could be back in her little niche. Only the thoughts of checking on her children forced her to go on. As she did, though, apprehension at seeing her family again rose in her. Would they still all be all right? Did they hate her? She knew that no matter what they thought of her, they would care for Luke and Leia. If they were still alive.

As she ducked into a doorway, a crushing sense of fear filled her. What if they were all dead? She didn't think she could bear it. She pushed it aside as she started out again. There were covert ways of checking on people if you were very careful, and although she hadn't used it in a couple of years, the last time she had checked, her family was safe.

At her parents' door, she stood and studied it for a moment, not wanting to knock and face things, just yet. She was protected from being seen from the street here, so she could afford a moment or two. The paint on the door was peeling, a grim reminder of what had happened here, of what was happening here. A reminder of just how important the rebellion really was. All her life her parents home had been kept pristine, and for something even this simple to be different, gave her some insight into how things had really been.

Lifting her hand, she knocked. No, she didn't. Before she could even reach the door her hand faltered and fell to her side. Sucking in a breath of air, she tried again. This time knuckles met wood, but even Padmé knew that no one on the inside would hear it.  She took another deep breath and then released it, pulling courage in and pushing out the fear. She remembered an old lesson Obi-Wan had taught the twins about drawing in positive feelings while letting go of negative ones with each breath.

Thinking of Obi-Wan brought pain. She had no way of knowing if he was alive or dead, but something deep inside her told her that she was never going to see him again. Releasing the pain, or at least trying to, Padmé drew in another deep breath of courage, unconsciously pulled her hood further over her eyes, lifted her hand and knocked.

There was no doubting that anyone heard her this time. Steps approached the door, and Padmé thought she heard hesitation. She realised that it was late, after curfew. The person on the other side of the door was naturally going be concerned about answering the door. She would have waited until she was legally allowed to be wandering around the streets, but had no idea if she had the time. Her deadline for meeting the twins was tomorrow. They might choose to leave first thing in the morning. She would have been here sooner, but her transport's round-a-bout route meant this was the earliest she could get here. _Almost too late._ Besides, walking through the streets in daylight might have increased her chances of being recognised.

Slowly, the door opened a crack, "Who are you?" 

Belatedly, Padmé realised her face was almost completely obscured. She pushed her hood back and looked directly into the crack of the door, "It's me, Mom, Padmé."

*****

**A/N: **Please read and review. I'll try to have the next chapter as soon as humanly possible, I promise.


	13. Part Two: Chapter Eleven

**Email:** kazzy@whoever.com

**Rating: **PG

**Summary:** If every decision we make determines where we end up, what if instead of doing one thing, we do another? Obi-Wan and the Jedi never knew that Padmé was pregnant with Anakin's children. _The rule was that if you couldn't find one twin, you looked for the other._

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Star Wars. No, really, I don't. However, if someone would like to bequeath it to me, I wouldn't object. ****

**Notes: **Yay, exams are over! I have until early March until classes start again.

Thanks to my wonderful, wonderful beta Kathy, without who this fic would be next to unreadable.

*****

"Everything changes, nothing remains without change." – Buddha 

*****

The door widened and Padmé felt herself being sized up, but didn't look at her mother. Couldn't. She kept her eyes on the door, with it's peeling paint. For long moments, her eyes traced the irregular patterns. Then abruptly she was dragged inside, the door slammed, and she was enfolded in a hard hug. Her mother pushed her away, shook her, "What were you thinking?"

Padmé felt like she was eight again and had wandered off while shopping with her mother and gotten lost. Then she remembered her first day on Tatooine and how Luke had gone missing, only to be accidentally found by Obi-Wan. So she let her mother fuss and scold as she was dragged to the living room. It was a small price to pay.

Her father was sitting on the couch; he looked up apprehensively as she entered. He must have heard the door, as well, and wondered who was calling so late. He sprang up when he saw her, shock written all over his features. "Padmé?"

"Hi, Dad," she said, a little nervously. He came over and pulled her into a tight hug, too. He didn't shake her, though. She still felt unaccountably young, but knew she didn't look it. Her mother and father showed, in their features and in their bearing, that much time had passed. She wondered what she looked like to them. Did they see how much older she had grown?

"Where have you been? No, don't answer that. According to the twins, everywhere." Her father's voice held a note of accusation, but it was far less than she had expected, than she had feared.

"They're here, then? They made it?" She hadn't realised she'd been quite that concerned, but relief coursed through her and she felt her eyes prickle. _They're all right_. Nothing would matter so much as the twins safety – everything else came after them.

"They made it. They're asleep, you can't wake them." Padmé wondered if she should argue. Technically she could wake Luke, but not Leia. Once that girl was asleep, wild banthas stampeding wouldn't wake her. She decided that it would be petty and unworthy of her to comment, but she wouldn't be sure her children were all right until she had seen them for herself. Her mother carried on, "They were exhausted when they arrived, and half-starved – what have you been feeding them?"

Padmé saw no reason to lie, and a part of her felt bitter. She'd been gone sixteen years and her mother was worried about what she had fed her children? "Whatever I could find to feed them with." Her words brought a moment of silence as they sunk in. Life had been hard for everyone, and she gathered her parents were coming to terms with just how hard it had been for her. She had usually been able to find enough food to keep the twins from going hungry, but there were times that stood out with aching clarity when she could not.

"Padmé, Padmé," said her father into the silence, "why did you do it? Why did you leave? No note, no explanation? Did it not occur to you that we would worry?"

She shook her head, "Of course it did! I knew perfectly well how horrible it would have been for you! I had to do it, anyway. I had to keep them safe. The twins were the most important thing, I had to keep them away from Palpatine and V-vader," she hoped neither noticed her slight stumble on Vader's name. "If I stayed, everyone would have been in danger. Had I told you where I was going, or even that I was going, you would have been in danger! I hated that I had to do it! But I had to! Those are _my_ children!" She threw a hand at the other end of the house, where the bedrooms were.

"And you are our daughter," her mother said, the weight of sixteen years in her words.

Padmé shook her head again, unable to say more. In the end it turned out that she didn't have to. 

"Mom?" A new voice intruded. They all turned to see Luke standing at the door, which lead to the other rooms. His hair was mussed and he blinked sleepily in the bright light.

Padmé stilled completely as she took the site of him in. He was here, and he was all right. "Luke," she breathed and hurried over to him, pulling him tightly to her. "Are you all right? And Leia?"

"I'm fine, Mom. So's Leia, but she's asleep. What about you? We were so worried, Mom. We didn't know what was going on! You didn't tell us! What happened? Where's Obi-Wan?" He was wide-awake now, and looking at her with his bright blue eyes, the ones he had inherited from his father. She reached up to him and stroked his face with the backs of her fingers. It was so good to have him safe. She hugged him tightly, again.

"Mom!" he said, pulling away slightly, "What's going on?"

"It doesn't matter, right now, Luke, I want you to go back to bed, and we can discuss it in the morning." They would have to leave in the morning, as well. Naboo was good for a temporary refuge, but staying for too long would be disastrous. She watched as her son nodded and headed back to his room. He wasn't stupid, but he knew when to obey her (most of the time). He'd had a lot of practice.

When she heard a door close down the hall, she turned to her own parents, not sure where to begin.

***

Someone was sitting on the end of her bed. Leia sat up, reaching for her lightsabre under her pillow as she did so. She ignited it inches from the intruder's neck. "Impressive. Dangerous, but impressive," a smooth voice said. He hadn't moved away.

Heart pounding with unused adrenaline, Leia deactivated the blade, and flopped back on her pillows. "One of these days," she said, tilting her head so she could see her brother clearly without sitting up again, "I'm going to be off, and impale you. What an inglorious end: Luke Skywalker, skewered on his twin sister's lightsabre while trying to wake her up."

"You haven't gotten me yet."

"I might just decide I'm tired of having you around. It would be the perfect explanation: 'he startled me – I was asleep'."

There wasn't enough light in the room for her to see him shake his head in amusement, but she knew he did. Just like he knew she would never accidentally kill him when he woke her up. "Was there a reason you woke me up, or did you do it just to prove you could?" No one else could wake her.

"Nah," he said and her bed shifted slightly as he got off it and came round to where her head was. "I've got some things to tell you. Here, move over." She did so and he lay down next to her. She knew most people would find it strange, but they were twins, and they had shared beds often as children – there not always being enough money to stay somewhere they could have separate ones.

"So was this information vital, or could it have waited until morning?"

He turned on his side and she felt him grin at her, "It could have waited," he admitted easily.

When he didn't continue she poked him in the ribs, "Well?"

"Mom's here."

"What? When did she get here?" Relief ran through Leia, she felt a tension that she hadn't even been aware of seep out of her shoulders.

"While you were asleep. I had to wait until she was sleeping to tell you. Speaking of which – I'm tired." He flicked his wrist and the extra blanket at the end of the bed moved up. She felt him adjust it, and knew he was settling in.

"Oh no, Luke, you're not staying here – you've got your own bed next door. This bed's too small for both of us, we're not five anymore."

"Bed's too far, I'm too tired." His force sense was sleepy. Come to think of it, she was feeling pretty sleepy, too.

She was drifting off when he spoke, "Leia?"

"Mmm?"

"Do you really want me to go back to my room?"

"No, you can stay." She curled a little tighter and Luke moved to give her a little more room. His presence was warm and constant, just like it had always been. Her last sleepy thoughts were of the knowledge that her mother and brother were safe and nearby.

***

Padmé had just finished dressing when her mother tapped on the door the next morning. It was early, but Padmé had made it explicitly clear that neither she, nor the twins could stay any longer. She called a quiet acknowledgement and her mother entered. Padmé ignored the faint disapproval she felt coming from her mother at what she was wearing. The clothes were sensible, sturdy, and would last; they weren't necessarily tidy and nice to look at, but that was what her life needed. She knew that her parents would be more than happy to provide her and the twins with new clothes, but this was something she could not accept. If her parents wanted a reminder of the person she had been sixteen years ago, they would be waiting a lot longer. That woman was dead and buried, the last of her dissolved in the hot Tatooine climate.

Suppressing these uncharitable thoughts, because they were unfair and partially untrue, Padmé turned to her mother, "Yes, Mom?" she asked quietly, unsure. She did not know if they could ever achieve peace between them again, and right now she had neither the time nor the inclination to. The only respite seemed to be her parent's relief that she was alive. Maybe she'd be able to come back soon and try and create a treaty so all of them could look back without overwhelming bitterness. _A treaty, Padmé? You think like a politician._

"I can't find Luke. He's not in his room, the refresher, the main room, or the garden." Was she wondering if Luke had run off, and left them all? Maybe that's what she thought whenever she lost track of her loved ones positions, or they were late home. Maybe every morning when she woke up she wondered if someone else had gone missing. Padmé was sorry if she did, but not sorry enough to want to take back what she had done. She wished her mother could understand this.

"Have you checked Leia's room?" The rule was that if you couldn't find one twin, you looked for the other. If they weren't together, they knew how to find each other.

"I hadn't gotten to waking her, yet."

Padmé couldn't begin to describe all her children's little habits, but she was aware that sometimes they must seem strange to others. She just shook her head and sighed. "When they were growing up, they often shared a bed. If one of them is upset for any reason they still do, occasionally."

"I would have thought they'd relish the idea of sleeping alone, then."

"They have an exceptionally strong bond – a Jedi bond – because they are twins and because they were raised together with no external interference.  They are more comfortable near to each other than apart." The words were Obi-Wan's, he'd explained much of why Luke and Leia did things she couldn't understand, but she didn't mention this to her mother.  Nor did she mention that Obi-Wan had tried, unsuccessfully, to weaken the bond. He'd been afraid what would happen if the bond were ever snapped. Padmé worried about other things, but the bond between the twins remained strong, and had proved so far to do more good than harm.

Down the corridor and across, Padmé opened the door to the room where she knew Leia to be sleeping. She'd checked on her daughter once last night. The girl had been deeply asleep. Now she lay curled as small as she could get herself, in a corner against the wall. Luke lay beside her, one arm, leg and his head hanging off the edge of the bed. It seemed impossible for him to be lying there without falling out of bed. Apparently gravity agreed, because as she watched, her mother standing to the left behind her, he slipped.

He landed on the floor with a thump and Padmé winced because there was no carpet. He rolled with his movement and stood before he was even awake. He grinned sleepily at his mother and grandmother. "Mornin'," he said. His eyes cleared a little more, "Hi, Mom!" he said more cheerfully. He turned to his sister's sleeping form, "Hey, Leia, wake up!" He probably gave her a little Force nudge, because she stirred. Luke could wake Leia when no one else, not Padmé, not Obi-Wan, could.

"Go away, Luke," the girl murmured. 

Obviously not wanting to waste an opportunity to annoy his sister, Luke leaned in close to her, and murmured something softly in Huttese. Padmé didn't catch it; and knew if she had she would probably be unimpressed, as Luke usually used Huttese only to swear. 

"Luke…" Padmé warned.

He ignored her. Leia rolled over to bat at her twin. Expecting the attack, Luke moved smoothly so her hand met air. Not getting the resistance she expected Leia was forced to open her eyes to check his position. Inches away from her he made a face. Startled, she yelped. 

The twins spent a good amount of time taunting each other, as such they knew the limits, and Luke definitely knew this was time to run. Of course, waking Leia usually involved running. Padmé did not know the events of the morning two days previous, but if she had she would not have been surprised.

He dashed between his mother and grandmother, Leia hard on his heels. Padmé didn't have enough warning to catch Luke, but she grabbed Leia as the girl attempted to pass her. "All right you two, give it a rest." There were occasions that Padmé wondered if her children put this on entirely for her benefit.

"But he—" Leia started, glaring at her twin, who stood just out of reach, still grinning.

"Leia Skywalker, remind me again how old you are."

"Sixteen," the girl replied, somewhat mutinously. She tried to break her mother's grip, but Padmé was not about to let her go.

"Luke?"

"Sixteen." 

"And, Luke Skywalker, how long have you been training to be a Jedi?" She could see the startled faces at her mention of the Jedi, but she ignored it. She'd told her parents last night she'd allowed her children to be trained as Jedi, and it had turned out to be another thing they couldn't understand. Neither Luke nor Leia had been privy to the conversation, so her casual mention would have surprised them. There was a pause, "Luke?" she asked again.

"Six years," he answered tentatively.

"What about you Leia?" 

"Six years."

"And it never occurred to either of you to act like it?" 

They just looked at her, concerned. Padmé's own mother seemed uncertain how to react to all this. Padmé tried to remain stern, but she had long ago figured that as Luke and Leia had always been doing this they were unlikely to stop. Maybe they would grow out of it, but then she'd probably miss it. Besides, as Obi-Wan had once put it, it kept their reflexes up.

Was there nowhere she could turn that was not haunted by Obi-Wan? Was there always going to be a gang of ghosts that followed her? People that once had not affected her daily thoughts now followed her. Six years ago, Obi-Wan had been a distant memory of an old friend, connected to her only via Anakin. He'd become such a big part of her life now, that she doubted she could ever purge him from her mind. He was an entity, a being, a ghost all of this own.

Apparently sensing the path of her thoughts, Leia gently shook off her mother's hand, and turned to envelope her in a hug, which Padmé gladly returned. Both children where taller than their mother, but they'd never tower over her. Luke, not wanting to be left out, wrapped his arms round both.

At this moment Leia took the opportunity to get revenge. She pinched Luke hard enough to elicit a gasp from him. He jumped and chased Leia down the hall to the refresher. Padmé and her mother watched them go.

"They did that on their first morning here, too," Jobal quietly commented to her daughter.

"What? Chased each other about the place? I'm not surprised – they seem to enjoy deliberately working each other up." Padmé shrugged it off. 

Jobal appeared to be puzzled over something, and after a moment or two of a not quite comfortable silence, spoke up, "Yesterday, they fought in the garden," she frowned, "sparring I guess you'd call it—"

"With sabres?" Padmé interrupted alarmed, glancing up the hall; Leia was in the 'fresher, and Luke was in the room he'd been using. They wouldn't be that stupid, would they?

"No, no," Jobal quickly assured her daughter, "no weapons. But my point is that you could see they were Jedi; I don't know of any humans who could move like that, otherwise."

"I told you last night why I decided they should train. I'm tired of justifying my actions, Mom." She felt her expression harden. Some days it felt like all she did was justify her actions, to Owen and Beru, to the twins, to herself…was a little peace too much to ask?

Before Jobal could give her reply, Leia whisked out of the refresher and called to Luke. Pausing in front of her mother and grandmother, wrapped in a towel, she asked, "When are we leaving, Mom?"

Jobal stiffened, but her daughter ignored her, focusing instead on Leia, "As soon as we can. Are you ready to go?"

"Always," affirmed Leia. Moving inside her room, she shut the door gently. Once again, Jobal and Padmé were left standing, alone and ill at ease. Padmé adored her family with all her heart and once, long ago, before the gulf had opened between them, they had been very close. Now years of loneliness and pain stood separating them. _Anakin's fault._

Everything came back to Anakin. Sighing, she headed down the hall without another word.

She collided briefly with Luke, on his way to the 'fresher. "Oops, sorry, Mom."

"Luke." She looked up at him and smiled, or at least tried to. "Did you hear what I told Leia?"

"Sure, but you have to wait 'til I've had a shower, with _real_ water." When the response didn't get the expected smile of amusement, Luke's own slipped, and his brow dipped. "Is everything all right, Mom?" He looked past her to his grandmother. Leia's door opened quietly and out of the corner of her eye, Padmé could see her daughter lean against the doorframe. Jobal stood, unmoving, where Padmé had left her.

Padmé thought of the ways she could answer her son's question. Discarded all of them and went for the most simple, "I'm fine, Luke, just a little tired." He could probably sense the lie in her answer, as could Leia, but neither called her on it. Luke went for his shower, giving her one last look before closing the door. Leia's gaze remained heavy.

"Mom?"

"I'm fine, Leia." Padmé heard the finality to her tone, and the moment stayed still. Jobal and Leia both watching Padmé who did not turn back. There was no running water from the refresher, and the house was still. Padmé wondered where her father was.

The front door slammed. "We're here!" called a voice. Sola's. Leia disappeared into her room to finish dressing.  Luke's shower started. Padmé returned to her own room to complete her own morning rituals and to hide from her sister – for all the good it would do her. The minute Sola discovered Padmé was here it would be chaos.

She was right.

"Padmé Amidala Skywalker! Where have you been?!" Sola barged into her sister's room, apparently not worried that she might be interrupting. Padmé snapped her last clip into place. Admittedly, fixing her hair didn't take long any more, as she'd kept it short on Tatooine, but it was thick enough that if she left it alone it'd tangle. Moreover it was an excuse not to face her sister immediately. A poor one, but it would do. In the mirror, Padmé could see not only Sola, but also Darred and one of their girls. Which one? Ryoo or Pooja? Pooja, she decided.

"Hello, Sola," Padmé said softly.

She was enfolded in another hug. This one tighter and longer than the others. Tears formed in her eyes. Over her sister's shoulders she could see the worried, and welcoming faces of Darred and Pooja. When they pulled apart Sola's eyes were red and Padmé's shoulder was damp.

"Where have you been? Where have you been!?" She looked at Padmé for a second, pulled her into another tight hug, pushed her away, then hugged her again. "Where have you been?" Padmé wondered if her entire family was going to keep on treating her like an insolent child who had stormed off in a fit of pique and been missing for a few hours. She had two teenage children of her own, had been a queen and a senator. She was fairly sure she was able to make rational decisions without needing them questioned.

She answered mildly, "Here and there."

"You have to tell me all about it."

"The twins and I are leaving very soon, Sola, I doubt I have time. There are things that need to be done." Padmé kept her tone cool and crisp, knowing that no one would be able to tell outwardly how much she wanted to stay and talk with her sister, but she did. She just hoped no one could pick up on how she was struggling with her temper this morning.

Sola frowned, "You must stay. You've just got here."

"I can't," said Padmé furiously. "I have to leave and so do Luke and Leia. It's not safe here. Also, they have somewhere they're supposed to be." She knew she was wound up and should calm down, or very soon she'd have two concerned children at the doorway. _Damn Jedi, never a moment to be angry when they're around._ Besides it wasn't Sola she was mad at; today, it was Anakin. At least the twins had never managed to pick up on _that._ They didn't know how frequently she aimed her fury at her husband, their father. They knew there were times when, for whatever reason, she got very upset at something, but she had never been willing to let them know exactly what it was that caused it.

Obi-Wan had known. She'd seen the looks he'd thrown at her occasionally. Looks that mingled grief and guilt. He'd spoken to her once when the twins had been spending a week with Owen and Beru on the farm. _You have to be careful, Padmé, they're highly intelligent. They know you get angry at something, right now they think it's abstract – the Empire – but one day they might pick up on the fact you're angry at someone. Vader and Palpatine are obvious targets, but it's personal in a way it shouldn't be._ Starting a fight had been Padmé's response, but she'd been the one to end it. He'd been right after all. _Stupid Jedi – they know too much for their own good._ Maybe today was her day for being angry with the Jedi. Although, usually, in a dim sort of a way it was herself she was angry at and the anger never lasted. She had after all, lived with Jedi for a long time. If there was one thing they frowned on it was anger. Slaughter was disapproved of, certainly, but they really seemed to have this thing about anger.

"Yes," Sola answered, not having noticed her sister wasn't giving her fullest attention, "Luke and Leia said something similar. They wouldn't say where, though." She was insinuating something, perhaps looking for information. "Three days isn't long, Padmé. I get the feeling that you want to keep moving. Have you stayed anywhere very long?"

"Don't be silly, Sola," Padmé answered sharply, "I spent the last six years on Tatooine. It isn't safe here."

"The Imperials haven't paid us much attention over the last eight years or so," Darred offered softly, and Padmé glanced his and Pooja's way. They both still waited awkwardly at the door.

"Yes, but I'm sure they have ways of being alerted to unusual behaviour. Beyond that the twins really do have something they're meant to be doing." She softened her voice for her brother-in-law. He hadn't accused her of anything yet. Eight years? It had been eight years since Padmé had been chased by Imperials, as well. Had Palpatine given up on her? Doubtful – she still didn't know what Darth Vader had been doing on Tatooine. Surely, though, if he were after Luke and Leia, she would know?

She shook her head and moved forward, first to embrace Darred and then Pooja. "Darred, Pooja it _is_ good to see you again." And she meant it.

Pooja spoke for the first time, clearly surprised, "You remembered me!" 

Padmé smiled wryly, "Of course." She placed a hand on Pooja's cheek, a gesture she often used with the twins. "I could hardly forget you – could I?" She spared a thought to wonder what this one thought about her. She was not a little girl anymore, but she had been when Padmé had run away. How did that affect her thinking on her aunt?

Turning back she saw Sola's look of exasperation. Nope, she was still viewed as a difficult child. She sighed, "All right, I suppose I can stay for breakfast."

"Excellent decision." Luke stood in the hall behind his uncle and cousin. "Leia!" he called, "We're staying for the morning meal."

She came out into the corridor and gave everyone a dazzling smile, "Great!"

*****

**A/N: **Actually, very little of that went the way I'd planned it. So much unfinished business, but then, that's family for you. They're all still alive so I'll probably have them show up at a later point. There are two more chapters in Part Two and they both exist in draft form. Give me a little while, not long and I'll have them on your screens. Then it's "A New Hope". With a few differences, of course ;o)  


	14. Part Two: Chapter Twelve

**Email:** kazzy@whoever.com

**Summary:** If every decision we make determines where we end up, what if instead of doing one thing, we do another? Obi-Wan and the Jedi never knew that Padmé was pregnant with Anakin's children. 

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Star Wars. No, really, I don't. However, if someone would like to bequeath it to me, I wouldn't object. ****

**Notes: **Thank you to my wonderful beta's Kathy, and Jedi Keladry.

Also, there is now the first companion to this story up. The first is just a short story set between the prologue and part one, when the twins are eight.

*****

"It is good to have an end to journey towards; but it is the journey that matters in the end." – Ursula Le Guin

*****

Saying goodbye was harder than anyone could have imagined. Padmé knew nothing had been resolved and that made the parting even harder. The only thing that made it even vaguely bearable was that she could come back, judiciously and infrequently, but she could come and see them.

Luke and Leia stood to one side politely while their mother said goodbye to her family. Jobal was openly sobbing, and Ruwee was red-eyed. Sola's expression was cool, but her inner struggle showed clearly. Padmé despaired at hurting them again, but she was determined to maintain her position; the twins' safety and well-being came first. She was not keeping them anywhere they were in danger, nor was she herself staying anywhere she could get them in trouble. She couldn't stop them joining the Rebellion, but she wasn't going to risk them anymore than was necessary. That her parents and sister had to suffer because of that was tragic, but she refused to budge.

"Come back soon, Padmé. Don't leave it sixteen years," her father told her gently.

"I won't," she promised.

She hugged her mother last, and as the rest of the family was fussing over Luke and Leia, Padmé whispered in her ear, to reassure her, "I'll come back, Mom, maybe not for a while, but I promise it won't be too long. I need to see the twins to safety, and there are some things I need to arrange, but I will come back."

Her mother nodded, "Thank you, I love you Padmé. I don't completely understand you, but remember I love you."

Swallowing a lump in her throat, Padmé nodded, "I love you too, Mom." Then she stepped back so her mother could say goodbye to Luke and Leia, playing the part of the tearful grandmother to perfection.

Finally, she and the twins were on their way. AS they walked down the garden path, Padmé was forcefully reminded of the last time she left. Sore and exhausted, struggling under the weight of two infants, she had barely made it. On the transport off of Naboo, she had been terrified of every being, afraid that one or any of them were Palpatine's agents, there to steal her children. Of course, none of them had been, but when the twins were barely eight weeks old, she had escaped capture by a hair's breadth. Later she had realised that the twins afforded her a measure of protection, as the Emperor didn't know they existed. The warrants for her capture had never stated to look for a woman with two children. So while the twins were at risk, their presence provided cover for their mother who was then able to concentrate far more fully on their safety. Nobody knew Anakin Skywalker had had children.

"Mom? Is everything all right?" a soft voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Yes, everything's fine, Leia, I was just thinking about the first time I left here with the two of you. You were both two days old. It was very difficult, but in the end it was for the best." Her lips twisted into a rueful smile.

"We're sorry for causing you trouble, Mom."

"Oh no, Force no, Luke! You were never trouble! Neither of you were trouble, ever! You must never believe that. You two were the one thing that made everything all right!" She stopped and looked at both of them completely, her eyes stinging – _how could he even begin to believe_— "I love you both so much, I'd do it again over ten thousand times if it meant I could keep you two safe." She pulled them close, one arm around each and then kissed each on a cheek. "You must never believe it was you two that caused any trouble."

"But if it wasn't for us, you would have been able to fight Palpatine, and no matter about what you say to me or Luke, Mom, I know that's what you would have done. You gave up everything!" Leia's eyes were earnest, as were Luke's. She wondered if this was something they'd been holding on to for a while, or if it were thoughts prompted by this visit to her home planet, indeed to their own home planet.

She shook her head violently, "What I gave up, I gave up willingly, and as I said I'd do it again. And I did not give up everything. It would have been much worse to give up my children. That would have destroyed me."

Street corners were hardly the place to have these conversations. Even though they'd spoken quietly they had received a few wary stares. Suddenly aware that they were being watched, Padmé pulled her hood over her face. It should have been up anyway; she shouldn't be risking the fact she could be seen.

A stormtrooper approached, "Is everything all right here?" he asked. Through the tinniness of the speaker Padmé could hear annoyance. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw Luke and Leia exchange a glance and shift uneasily. They were never comfortable in the presence of someone so openly Imperial. She knew either one of them could use the Force to convince the stormtrooper to move on, but it would be better if they could convince him normally.

"Everything is fine, sir," she answered softly. "You don't need to worry about us."

The man nodded, the movement largely obscured by his helmet, "Then move along. There's no loitering in these parts."

"Of course," said Padmé. "Good day. Come along children." Shooting each a glance, Padmé turned, and with the twins following, headed towards the berth that housed the _World Bouncer._ She kept her head bowed and her shoulders slumped as she saw many of the ordinary people did, hurrying on their way.

Theed really had changed. Once this had been a busy area with many people bustling about their daily business, stopping frequently to talk to others or enter a shop. Now they seemed more interested in getting where they were going, and staying there. The former Queen and Senator also noticed that there were no Gungans. This hadn't been too unusual once, but by the time of the Clone Wars there would have been a few around; not a whole lot, but there would have been some.

Had Palpatine had them killed? Enslaved? Were they not allowed out of their cities? Or did they simply prefer to stay there? She regretted that she had not thought to ask her family and she could not approach a local. She hoped that they had not been harmed too harshly by the Empire, but knew that hope was probably futile. She had many friends among the Gungans and to think of them suffering was terrible, especially after she had worked so hard for peace between them and the human population of Naboo. She doubted they'd ever fully trust human beings again.

Gaining clearance to leave the planet was tiresome and much harder than arriving. It was clear that officials didn't much care who came in, but they didn't want too many people to leave. Palpatine's orders no doubt. He'd hardly want the Naboo to have too much of a presence on a galactic scale. 

It was very likely that there were some people on the planet that were very good at falsifying documents and they were probably very rich. Padmé and the twins all had fake identification, and they were extremely good fakes. It had cost a lot of money to get them done, but initially when she'd left Naboo with her very small children, she'd taken money with that purpose in mind. Each now had several identities they could use if need be and only the most vigorous examination would prove them to be anything other than absolutely genuine. The Imperials here, however, gave a very good impression of checking the documents and they came closer to discovering the truth than any others had.

Padmé refused to relax until they were in hyperspace, and before they could make that final safe jump, there was one more obstacle to overcome: telling the twins they were not going to make their meeting. She knew there was something she needed to do. This had been hovering in her mind since their first announcement that they wanted to join the rebellion, but she had refused to acknowledge it. However, after the incident in the street, the idea had crystallised. Without them, she would have fought the Empire. She would have lost and died a long time ago, but she would have fought. What she had said was true; she did not regret her decisions, and she would make the same choices again, but she now knew that she could not sit back while Luke and Leia did this. She herself must take part.

She hoped her children would not be too upset – the end result would be the same.  

"Luke," she told her son as he went to enter the hyperspace coordinates, "there's been a change in plans."

"Since when?" he asked, confused.

"Since now," she said dryly. Holding up her hand before either could begin to protest, Padmé carefully began to explain, "We're going to Alderaan. Before you say anything I'd like to tell you my reasons. This meeting of yours has always made me a little suspicious. You don't know if it's legit or if it's a ruse by the Empire to catch potential rebels. On Alderaan, however, I know there are people who can help you accomplish your goals. People I can trust."

"But, Mom, Alderaan?"

"It's a Core world!"

"It's one thing to go to Naboo, and that was bad enough—"

"—all those Imperials—"

"—but a planet that close to Coruscant and the Emperor?"

"I'm sure we will be safe on Alderaan. I have friends there who, no doubt, will be willing to give us sanctuary. What's more, they will be able to provide a means for you to join the Rebellion." She kept her voice even; they had to believe her on this. "Also, also, what you said earlier has been playing on my mind. I would have joined the Rebellion; I would have done everything to fight the Empire. I don't for one moment regret the choices I made, but now that you go to fight I have to think about what I'll do, and this is what I have to do."

There was guarded comprehension in their faces. Luke accepted the co-ordinates from her, and they finally made the jump to hyperspace. Padmé could only hope they would fully understand what she was saying when they got to Alderaan. She couldn't prove that anyone on Alderaan was part of the Rebellion, but understanding the way Bail Organa had thought prior to her 'disappearance' she doubted he'd take the Empire lying down. She had kept a close eye on galactic politics throughout her self-imposed exile, and as far as her – admittedly limited – research could tell her he had kept himself scrupulously clean. But she knew him; he would do what she would have done in his place. She just had to prove it to Luke and Leia.

"Mom? What happened to Obi-Wan? I know you didn't want to tell us before, but we're away from Naboo now, so we don't have to worry about people overhearing." It was the question she had been dreading, and she didn't even begin to know what to say. What could she say? That Obi-Wan, the man who had been the closest thing they'd ever had to a father, was most likely dead? Unfortunately, that was just about what she had to say.

"I don't know," she told them honestly enough. Then she drew in a deep breath, something she'd needed a lot of lately, but then the current run of events required plenty of courage. "The last time I saw him was at the Mos Eisley Space Port. We could only afford enough for one ticket off planet. We argued who should take it, and it ended up being me. Obi-Wan stayed behind…to face Darth Vader." Her strength nearly failed her when she had to say the name of the man who had once been her husband. She had almost never said his assumed title to them, and she had never told them Anakin's name, although she was sure they knew that at least.

Luke's jaw fell open and Leia practically shrieked, "What?! Darth Vader was there and you didn't say anything?"

"We should have done something! There must have been something we could have done," interjected Luke.

"There was – getting yourselves to safety," she said pertly.

"But Darth Vader, Mom? We should have been there to help Obi-Wan!" Padmé felt her blood run cold at Leia's words. Anakin's children facing Vader? Force, no!

"No, you shouldn't have!" she snapped, more out of fear than anything. Calming herself as best she could, she lifted her chin and gave both children her best Senator's glare, "Obi-Wan is a fully-trained Jedi, and he knew what he was getting into. You two, however, have no idea what you'd be facing. Before he turned, Vader was the most powerful Jedi in the Order. He would have slaughtered the two of you without a second thought." _And then we'd all be lost._

Both looked fairly alarmed at her words, but Luke said somewhat mutinously, "You can't know that, for sure."

"I can and do."

"How?" asked Leia.

Padmé choked a little over her next words, "Because I knew the man Vader used to be! Even when he used his abilities for the light side of the Force, he could be capricious. With the dark side he's done more to terrorise than is thinkable!" She didn't allow herself the tears that welled up, as this was something she had to stay strong on.

"But what about Obi-Wan, what if Darth Vader k-kills, has killed, h-him?" asked Leia a little tremulously.

"Oh, Leia," her mother said, gentling her tone, "there's no proof he has or will."

"I can't sense him!" Luke was obviously pained. "He's not there."

"It's a long way, Luke, and we're in hyperspace, there's a chance he's just out of reach."

"No, Luke's right, it's like he's gone completely. There's nothing where he should be!" They were working themselves, and each other, up. They hadn't done this for a long time – feeding off each other's emotions, making what they were feeling worse. She would have thought they were beyond it; Obi-Wan had certainly tried to make sure they were able to defend against it.  

"Stop it, both of you! Calm down!" She waited while they did so, "I know you're worried—" she shied away from the word afraid, although it was more apt— "but getting upset like this – and upsetting each other – is not going to help." She gave them both a hard look, then softened, "Try to remember to not underestimate Obi-Wan, and even I know there could be many reasons as to why you can't sense him, until you know for sure, you have to be calm. You have to trust that Obi-Wan knows what he is doing."

A few tears rolled down Leia's cheeks, and Luke was fighting them very hard. She had no idea what to tell her children, how to soothe their pain. Losing someone you loved was not easy and the first time a loved one died was a shock, nor did it get easier.

Knowing it was all she could do, Padmé stood up and opened her arms and they came in willingly enough. Most of the time they tried to be so grown up, or so Jedi, but at times like this they were her little children again. There was something heady about the knowledge that they still needed her, still relied on her for things no one else could provide.

*****

The Emperor had not been pleased that the two children had escaped. There was no proof that either child or even their mother were Jedi, but in such matters it was not a wise idea to leave loose ends. They were the kind to come back and whip you for your mistakes. Physical lashes meant nothing to Darth Vader, but he was still in danger of mental ones.

Kenobi's death, particularly at his hand, had pleased the Emperor, though. He'd cackled in delight at the thought that such a powerful enemy was gone. The strange circumstances involving the disappearance of Kenobi's body had caused concern, but he was able to separate lies from falsehood and the Emperor had known Vader was speaking the truth. Besides, who better to know whether or not Kenobi was no longer of the living than his former apprentice? The ties that had once bound the two men might have been almost nonexistent, but now they had been irrevocably snapped. Kenobi was dead.

He had sifted through the belongings left in the apartment. Nothing. Whoever had been living there had been absolutely thorough, no leads. Everything had been carefully cleaned as well. The few stray belongings left were characterless and completely useless for telling Vader about who had lived there. 

Except for the holograph. It was a still and fairly hazy, nothing like the quality of the Empire, or even that of the Republic. He supposed living out here on a tenth-rate rim world you couldn't expect any better. Everything out here was shabby, out-of-date, and of poor quality. Even the lowlifes were lower than the rest of the galaxy. 

He studied it carefully, as he had done for hours. A copy had been sent to his Master. It had mollified Palpatine somewhat. Again, it was no proof that it was who they were looking for, but it was a start. They had no names, or even an age on the picture, though Vader supposed there would be some sort of specialist that would be able to give them an approximate date of when it might have been taken.

He glared at the two children in the picture. They were somewhere in their early teens, maybe fourteen at the most. Both were smiling brightly, arms wrapped around each other. Neither had dressed up for the holo, which could mean nothing; they might be wearing the tidiest clothes they owned. The apartment they had lived in had been nice by the standards of Tatooine; and their belongings, while not expensive, suggested that their owners at least tried to achieve some state of quality. There had been nothing opulent about their lifestyle, and as good condition everything was, the whole impression that the Dark Lord got was threadbare.

The boy had blond hair and blue eyes; the girl had darker hair and brown eyes that stared intently at him. Both seemed familiar, as if he should know them, as if sometime he had met them. Kenobi's brats? Possible. Although, considering how much of a stickler for the law the Jedi had been, it was unlikely. Also, from all reports, the woman and her children had only been on planet for six years, while Kenobi had been there for nearly fifteen. Kenobi on Tatooine? Brilliant idea, but ultimately flawed.

The two were probably the children of someone he knew, or had known. The thought of three more Jedi out in the galaxy, these two children and their mother, was not reassuring. But Vader had killed the others, there was no doubt he could kill these. What he found more disturbing was that if these had hidden so long, were there others?

*****

**A/N: **Are there others? Will we ever know? Dunno. Next stop: Alderaan. Watch out Bail – the Skywalkers are coming to get you! Lol, j/k, tune in next time to find out what really happens.

_Go and read the first companion. It's loaded under the name of 'Another Lifetime'._


	15. Part Two: Chapter Thirteen

**Email:** kazzy@whoever.com

**Summary:** If every decision we make determines where we end up, what if instead of doing one thing, we do another? Obi-Wan and the Jedi never knew that Padmé was pregnant with Anakin's children. _His eyes lingered over Luke and Padmé knew he wouldn't fail to see her son's resemblance to Anakin._

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Star Wars. No, really, I don't. However, if someone would like to bequeath it to me, I wouldn't object. ****

**Notes: **Here's the big promise: because I got so many fantastic reviews last time (I'm over 100, now!!), and because it's a new year I'm going to post the next chapter early next week instead of making you wait until Friday. Thanks people, I love hearing form you all and finding out what you think of what I'm writing. Please continue to read this and enjoy it. Oh, and let me know what you think!

Thanks to Kathy for the beta. Every time she does a wonderful job.****

*****

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." – Mohandus Ghandi 

*****

"Luke?" He started violently in his seat and realised that he'd been dozing.

"Mom?" he said, peering into the dim light beyond the cockpit. His mother stepped quietly out of the shadows and smiled at him gently.

"I didn't mean to startle you, I just wondered what you were doing up so late."

He shook his head, "It's all right, I should have been paying attention," he mumbled, knowing he could have been alert and waiting and still not necessarily have sensed her. His mother had exceptional shields for a non-Jedi. 

"Are you going to tell me what you're doing awake at this hour, or not?" Luke snapped out of his reverie, realising he'd forgotten his mother was there.

"Leia's snoring?" he suggested. There were only two cabins and the twins shared the larger one, which had two fold-up bunks so the room could act as a common area, if need be. Since learning to use their lightsabres Luke and Leia often practised in the space. It wasn't really large enough, but it was the biggest space on the small ship. Except possibly the cockpit and their mother had sworn she'd put them out the airlock if they ever even thought about igniting their blades in there. She was probably joking, but neither Luke nor Leia was going to test it. 

"She doesn't." 

"Oh," was all Luke could manage, though he knew very well that his mother knew that Leia didn't snore. "What are you doing awake?" he asked suspiciously.

She lifted an eyebrow in a gesture he'd often seen Leia use, but it was one he could not imitate. "I was thirsty. Now my dearest son, stop avoiding my questions and tell me why you aren't in bed, like good little boys."

"Mom! I'm sixteen."

"I fail to see what that has to do with anything."

"I know when I should be in bed. I'm fine. You don't need to worry about me." He could see from her expression that his words hadn't had the slightest effect on her. They were still a day or so away from Alderaan, and it hadn't been an easy trip. He was tired, and couldn't sleep, but he didn't want to add to his mother's troubles. She had enough already.

"First of all, if you know when you should be in bed, why aren't you right now? Which leads me to my second point, if you aren't in bed when you should be, then you're probably not fine. People who are fine generally sleep from one end of the night to the other. Finally, I do worry, it's part of the job description. I wouldn't be much of a mother if I didn't." She sat down in the co-pilot's seat.

"Now what's wrong? Are you worried about being on Alderaan?" She looked at him searchingly.

"No, I—"

"What's going to happen after Alderaan, then? Are you worried about being part of the Rebellion?" she asked shrewdly and Luke wondered how she could figure him out so easily.

Should he tell her? It all seemed so trivial, he didn't even want to tell Leia and he told her most things. Her gentle smile encouraged him, "Are we doing the right thing, Mom? I know what Leia and I said about being ready, but…"

"You don't think you are?" 

He shook his head, and then shrugged. He knew he felt that he should be doing this, but a lingering doubt gnawed at him. And Leia was so sure; he'd sensed the weight of her conviction. "I know going to the Rebellion and being a fighter pilot is the right thing – the Empire needs to be fought – but, but, _I don't know!_" He didn't have any words to say exactly what he wanted. Leia was the one who was good with words.

"Luke, if you're worried about being ready, then you may as well give up while you're ahead, because you're never going to feel ready. Nothing can prepare you for the future; it's something you're going to have to learn to take as it comes. There's only so much you can predict. After that, it's all about your ability to act on the spot. You won't know what you're capable of until you do it. Now, I know Leia is positive about this, but that's Leia's choice, not your own, don't let her convince you otherwise."

"Leia would never…"

"Oh, I know your sister would never make you do something you truly didn't want to, but she can and will have you do things that might be against your better judgment. In that respect she's very much like your father." Luke was momentarily startled by the reference to his father. It wasn't the first time, but his mother hardly ever said anything about her husband. He wanted her to say more, but didn't press her, as experience had taught him his mother would say nothing if he probed deeply. Once, a long time ago – so long that Luke didn't remember the events surrounding the time – she'd told him he looked like his father; now, like then, he savoured this piece of information. 

If his mother realised what she had said she didn't seem affected by it. She sighed, "What it comes down to, Luke, is ultimately the choice is yours. Not mine and not Leia's. If I had my way, you'd be wrapped up in padding and put where I could keep you safe forever, but that wouldn't be good for you. You must do what you feel is right. Maybe you'll never be completely sure, and you should listen to your doubts so you lessen the chance of doing something stupid – please keep that in mind – but don't let them overcome what you know you should be doing."

"You make it sound easy."

She laughed, "It isn't. It's the damned hardest thing."

"So, how did you do it? I mean, all the things you did…" he trailed off not completely sure how to say more. They hadn't spoken of what his grandparents had revealed of his mother's past. He assumed she knew, and for all he knew she and Leia had already discussed it. He knew it must be burning a hole in Leia's tongue otherwise. Her life's greatest ambition was to do something about the state of the galaxy. She saw a position in the Senate as place to have a voice, as a way of doing things.

"Ah, so that's what's bothering you! I could curse my parents for bringing up that aspect of my past!"

"But Mom, you were a _Queen_ and a Senator. By the time you were my age, you'd been ruling for _two years_. You had done all this stuff, and what have I done? I'm a half-trained Jedi, who can fly and is reluctantly joining a rebellion. What does that say about me?" He heard the desperation in his own voice, and found that some part of him needed his mother's answer, whatever it might be. He needed someone to tell him if he was right or wrong, just give him some guidance. For so long, it was something he'd turned to Obi-Wan for, but he was gone, so maybe, just maybe, his mother would be able to help.

"Luke, you are extraordinary! You and your sister amaze me everyday of your lives. You may see some heroic ruler, but the truth is I struggled for years and in the end it was for nothing. You could even say I added to the destruction. No, Luke. Do not look to what you have not done, but to what you can do. And you can do so very much; will do so very much. I was too young for what I did, and in the end that was my downfall. Grow up before you grow old, Luke. I know it may be a bit late for that, but there are some things only time can teach, and some things for which I ran out of time. You have accomplished more than I thought possible simply by being here, now. Do not undermine yourself by thinking less."

He didn't fully understand her words. Partly they were the things he'd always been told. Believe in yourself; you have more potential than you think; don't grow up too fast…but there was a deeper message there that he didn't comprehend, and he knew it. She was trying to tell him something, but the significance had been lost in the coding. Maybe one day he'd be able to translate it. 

He didn't realise that by then it would be simultaneously too late and a lesson he'd already learned.

"Hey, is this a private party or can anyone join in?" said a sleepy voice and both mother and son looked up to see a rumpled looking version of the third part of their small family.

"I was just about to send your brother to bed. He may pretend to not need sleep, but he does," their mother said, standing up and gesturing for Luke to do the same. Surprised, Luke yawned.

"Tell me about it." Grinning at Luke in a way he didn't care for, Leia told her mother in a confidential tone, "It makes him grumpy, and then he loses at sabre practise and it makes him even more grumpy. Of course he loses a lot anyway."

"I do not!" he felt compelled to insert.

"Sure, Luke, sure." She narrowed her eyes, glancing first from her brother then to her mother, "Did I miss something? I feel like I've missed something."

"You have missed nothing, my brave little Leia," said their mother, throwing an amused look at Luke, which he returned.

Luke could see his sister frown and could feel her concern. "I did miss something!"

"Absolutely nothing of importance," her mother told her. "Now, help me escort your brother to bed, and let us wiser beings enjoy the remainder of the night." She hooked her arm through Leia's, leaned up and kissed her daughter's cheek, then motioned Luke in front of them. "Tomorrow, Leia, before we reach Alderaan, you and I will have to talk."

"About what?"

"Galactic politics." Luke grunted in disgust. _Let me be left out of that one, please!_

*****

Leia stared around her in pure amazement. She had, very rarely, stayed on some pretty planets as a child, but in the last few days she had been to two separate planets that were beautiful. After living on Tatooine for six years she felt like the proverbial beggar at the feast. From space Alderaan was even lovelier than Naboo. Upon landing she could see how comparable the two planets were, while being completely different.

On Naboo, one received a great sense of history, and although some of the regality of it had faded, there remained enough that even with the limited amount Leia had seen, beyond the city it must be stunning. On Alderaan, nothing had faded. It was graceful and beautiful, and just plain wonderful. _I could live here._

Their mother led them through the streets of Aldera, her hood drawn tightly over her face. Leia guessed that Padmé Skywalker – Padmé _Amidala_ – was in far less danger of being discovered on Alderaan than she had been on Naboo, but that she didn't feel she could risk it. 

For her part, Leia felt a sense of freedom. She soaked in the details of Aldera, enjoying the feel of being somewhere that had a low level of violence. At the same time, she felt wrong without her blaster and her lightsabre. Obi-Wan had always been horrified that both twins had steadfastly refused to remove their blasters completely in favour for complete trust in their sabres. Their mother had been unhappy that they'd worn weapons at all, though Leia had noticed she'd never strayed far from her own. Mos Eisley had taught Leia there would always be someone around the corner waiting to do something nefarious. That particular lesson had been hammered home on her first day there. Thoughts of what could have happened to Luke still chilled her, even though she knew he hardly thought of it.

She felt bad for wanting her weapons when she was obviously safe enough without them. No, not safe enough, there was no such thing as 'safe enough'. Still, with the weapons ban she knew she could defeat all except the most skilled attackers.

"Here we are!" her mother's voice was overly bright, and Leia exchanged a glance with Luke. Then she noticed where she stood.

"Mom! That's the palace! The royal family lives there!" Leia could feel her brother's answering shock as he realised along with her.

"I am aware of that, Leia," came the dry answer.

"When you talked about visiting politicians, and making myself known, I didn't think you meant today!"

"No time like the present, Leia." She was relaxing a little more, her children's surprise seemingly working as a balm. "Actually, while I have no doubt the Viceroy would be happy to help you start somewhere. I intend on using this meeting to let him know I'm still alive and interested in the proposition he put to me, nearly seventeen years ago."

"What proposition?" Luke asked suspiciously.

Padmé Amidala Skywalker glanced around them quickly, and lowered her voice, "Why, to be part of the rebellion!" she laughed. Her apprehension apparently completely gone, she started up the steps.

She was halfway up before the other two sets of feet got the idea. "Mom!"

***

The interior of the building was cool and light. Padmé trotted along the corridors, leaving Luke and Leia scrambling to keep up. Being Jedi as well as both taller and younger than her, they should have had no trouble, but Padmé felt as if she had wings on her feet as she glided along.

Technically, they shouldn't have been in this part of the palace. It definitely was part of the restricted areas, but she'd spent the earlier months of her pregnancy here. Unable to go out, she'd learned the quickest, quietest and best routes to use to get around. She might have stayed here longer, but a scare with Palpatine coming just a little too close had convinced her to go elsewhere. She had still been at the top of the Wanted lists back then. The newly named Emperor would have done just about anything to get his hands on the former Senator. Besides, she'd longed to go home, to have her children among family.

Unfortunately, that hadn't been safe either.

Through all the years Bail hadn't changed his office's location. Good. Sitting outside was a human receptionist, who glanced up with a bored look. Her gaze sharpened when she realised she didn't recognise them. "Hey! You aren't supposed to be here!" 

Padmé fought the urge to snort disbelievingly. _You don't say!_ "I realise that," she said calmly instead, "but I must see the Viceroy – it's of vital importance."

"He's busy. Anyway, you can't see him without an appointment. Please leave or I'll have to call security." She started to reach for her comm., anticipating trouble.

"Please just tell him that Pala Antilles is here to see him. If he does not wish to see us then we will go on our way," Padmé said as earnestly as she could manage. Pala Antilles had been her alias while on Alderaan the last time. The name had been common enough that no one questioned it. She prayed that Bail would remember it – she would be in trouble if he did not.

For a second it looked as if the receptionist would comply with her request but then the woman shook her head, "I'm sorry, but His Highness is not to be disturbed, and as you don't have an appointment…" _And as I don't look at all important._ Maybe she should have accepted some clothes from her mother.

"You will tell the Viceroy that Pala Antilles is here to see him."

"I will tell the Viceroy that Pala Antilles is here to see him," the young woman parroted Luke in a monotone.

While the receptionist spoke softly into her comm., Padmé shot her son a look. He just shrugged.

Seconds later a door shot open at the other end of the corridor. "Pala!" So he did remember. Padmé carefully led her children down to where Bail waited for them. He held the door open for them, eyes widening a little as he got a good look at the twins, then shut the door behind them.

As soon as they had complete privacy, Bail turned and hugged her tightly. "Padmé," he breathed, "it's so good to see you again!" He released her and looked over at the twins, "And this must be Leia and Luke, it's an honour to finally meet you both." He took first Leia's hands in greeting and then Luke's. Both of their jaws had dropped so low Padmé thought she might have to scrape them off the carpet. He glanced around, remembering something, "It's alright to speak freely, I check for bugs regularly, and the last check was about half an hour ago." 

Padmé nodded, but before she could reply, Leia interrupted. "Excuse me, Your Highness, but _finally meet us_?" Really, Leia was going to have to learn better manners than that. She had no idea why her children were so shocked. She would have thought that after meeting so many people in the last few days who knew them, whom they did not know, they would be pretty much immune to the surprise. Apparently not.

"Yes, my dear, the last time I saw your mother, you and your brother were about four months shy of your birth." The Viceroy smiled paternally at Leia. He had offered to adopt the twins, or one of them, but Padmé had turned him down. Having three fugitives this close to Coruscant was too dangerous, and she did not want to separate them or be separated from them. Bail was a good man and he didn't deserve what would have happened had Palpatine discovered Anakin Skywalker's wife and children on Alderaan. She knew from rumour that Bail had two children in the intervening years, and that his wife had died a couple of years ago. She wondered where to begin with all of the things that had occurred since they'd last seen each other. What did he think when he looked at Luke, Leia and herself?

Scrupulous host that he was, Bail Organa ushered all three of his guests into chairs, and produced four cups of excellent caf from somewhere. "Padmé, you have no idea how much it relieves me that you are alive and well. I have been much worried for you these last years."

"And I you, Bail. It would have troubled me greatly had you fallen foul of the Emperor or Darth Vader." Formal, yet informal. The language was stately and distant, but he had greeted her as an equal, a friend, and she felt honoured to be able to do the same back to him.

"No, no, they would not dare. Even weaponless Alderaan is far too powerful for them to challenge openly. Have they bothered you, recently?" She could feel his concern both for her and for Alderaan. He would not deny her sanctuary from the Empire – in fact he would offer it whole-heartedly – but he still had to know of the threat to his people. He was, and had always been, an excellent leader.

"About eight or nine years ago, I noticed that deliberate pursuit had stopped. Whether Palpatine finally lost track of us, or gave up on us – which I doubt – I'm not entirely sure. Then, less than a week ago we were on Tatooine and Darth Vader appeared, but I believe he has no idea of our whereabouts currently. Obi-Wan stayed behind to distract him. We don't if he survived the battle." She glanced briefly at Luke and Leia, both of whom couldn't hide their worry about their mentor. She hoped that her old friend would not refer to Vader in any context that the twins would be able to guess their relationship to him.

At her words his eyes drifted towards the twins and she could see him take them in completely. His eyes lingered over Luke and Padmé knew he wouldn't fail to see her son's resemblance to Anakin. Gaze flickering back to her, he shook his head, "Obi-Wan? Vader? You've been busy." She knew he had once considered both men his friends. "But you must be tired. Let me find you some rooms, and you can rest. There will be plenty of time tomorrow to discuss the past and the future. By then we may even have word on Vader's position."

***

She was watching her children in one of the private training rooms, kept for those who worked on hand-to-hand fighting skills, or – more often – dance. Technically, the three of them were the only ones who had access to the room, but he was Viceroy, and that allowed certain privileges. The lightsabres had been carefully smuggled off their ship.

Quietly he stepped up beside her, watching her. She was seemingly engrossed in the lightsabre battle between Luke and Leia. He could see her moving her lips as she watched their movements; what she was saying, and to whom, he didn't know, but he could tell she knew what she was talking about. Whatever that was. For a second, he was drawn into the fight. He had seen Jedi use lightsabres before and he had to admit that these two knew what they were doing. Was it Anakin's talent passed on or simply Obi-Wan's training?

"Padmé," he said softly, and she turned to him and smiled warmly. He would have put money on her not realising he was there. She was that engrossed in her children, but there was not a trace of surprise in her demeanour.

"Aren't they amazing?" she asked, her eyes bright with joy. She was obviously very proud of them.

"Yes, they are," he admitted. "Padmé, we've had word – Vader's back on Coruscant. According to our sources he went straight into a meeting with Palpatine. No-one knows what about."

Her jaw tightened and she nodded sharply, turning back to watch Luke and Leia for a few moments. Their movements seemed to have become more intricate. It had to be a combination of Anakin's genetics and Obi-Wan's training; nothing else could have provided quite that ability level.

"I've also spoken to Mon Mothma, and she's happy to take Leia under her wing. If I hadn't been worried about putting her too close to Palpatine and Vader I would have sent her to Coruscant to work with Senator Wellam."

"Thank you. What about Luke?" she said then abruptly stepped back. "I'm sorry. I'm pushing, you've already done so much…"

Bail shook his head, "Not at all. It's the least I could do. If Luke's skills in the cockpit are anything like those with a lightsabre, then they'll welcome him with open arms. They always need more pilots. I'm not sure you'll find that comforting, though."

"Luke and Leia have both been flying since they were small. Luke has a real passion for it. I may not be happy about him becoming a fighter pilot, but I could no more stop him than I could stop the sun from rising over Aldera tomorrow. He's like Anakin when he flies." She sighed at the mention of her husband. "If he'd been anyone else's child…I see him in everything they do." Her smile was sad and lonely.

"You don't see yourself?"

"Occasionally, but mostly I see him."

Bail had no idea what to say to that. He missed his wife everyday. It was like part of his soul had been ripped away, and she was never far from his thoughts. When Padmé remembered her husband, however, she had to remember he was still alive, and that he was a monster. Bail had considered Anakin a friend and now when he looked at Vader, was forced to deal with him, it made him shiver. To know that this man was once considered a hero…

"Will you stay on Alderaan?" he asked, coming back to the topic at hand.

"Would you have me?" she asked a little dryly.

"Of course. There are many things you would be extremely helpful for. I would like nothing better. I know you said you wanted to help the rebellion and trust me when I say there's a never-ending list of what needs to be done, and never enough people to do them. You will be most helpful." He knew she didn't expect it, but he put all the sincerity he had into his words. Once he had considered her among his closest friends, and there was still no one he admired more.

She smiled. "Thank you." Then she turned back to the duelling Jedi, frowned and clapped her hands together. "Luke! Leia! That's enough!" Both stopped and turned towards their mother, their blades switching off as they did so. Bail was surprised to see guilt in their countenances. "Are you two trying to remove each other's limbs? Watch what you are doing or I will personally see that you never touch a lightsabre again."

"Aww, Mom, we were just playing," Luke said.

"Don't give me that, Luke! I could see what you were doing, and I'm not impressed. I thought you'd been taught better…"

Bail ducked out of the room to hide his amusement. He wouldn't want the twins to think he was laughing at them. They'd tried so hard of impress him over the last couple of days. 

He had a good feeling about these two, though. Maybe it was just a relief to see Jedi again, or maybe it was something about Luke and Leia themselves. Whatever it was, the two of them being here – with Padmé – was a good thing.

*****

**A/N: **It's a bit ragged at the moment, isn't it? I apologise, I hoped for a better ending for Part Two than that, but my muse has apparently abandoned me in rage at my exams. Please be nice and give me reviews. I promise to have the interlude up Monday or Tuesday; followed by the start of Part Three sometime soon, which is set about two years after Part Two and is in "A New Hope" timeline. Yay!


	16. Interlude

**Title: A Moment in Time**

**Author: Kazzy**

**Email: kazzy@whoever.com**

**Rating: PG-13******

**Summary: If every decision we make determines where we end up, what if instead of doing one thing, we do another? Obi-Wan and the Jedi never knew that Padmé was pregnant with Anakin's children. _One of the nice things about not being a Jedi was that no one expected you to live up to quite the same high standard of morals.****_**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars. No, really, I don't. However, if someone would like to bequeath it to me I wouldn't object. ******

**Notes: Thanks to my wonderful betas Kathy and Jedi Keladry.**

Read and review (you know you want to).

*****

_"The past is but the beginning of a beginning." – H.G. Wells_

*****

"Anakin?"

"Yes, Master Obi-Wan?" The words and even the tone were respectful. His eyes and, Obi-Wan knew, his thoughts were not. Dulled, but seething nonetheless, rage burned out of Anakin.

"I need to speak with you." Familiar tension trickled back into Obi-Wan and he felt the inner crushing sensation. Everything was a struggle, a war, with Anakin these days. This would be no different. Obi-Wan was so tired of it. He loved Anakin, loved him like a friend and a son, yet he could barely stand to be in his presence anymore. _I've lost you._

"Of course, Master." Obi-Wan realised that he an Anakin were alike in that they both were trapped in their own personal hells. Anakin did not want to be here. He undoubtedly wanted to be with his wife. _His wife_. Obi-Wan wanted to be somewhere he could regain his inner peace.

"The Council knows." He could hear the finality of his tone. It sounded like a death sentence. _This is the end._

"Knows what, Master?" The epithet showed the first signs of the rage that already shone from Anakin's eyes. He knew perfectly well what the Council knew.  Or at least he could take a guess. Of course, there was the possibility that maybe he really didn't know. Maybe Anakin had so many secrets that he didn't know which one the Council knew.

"About your marriage to Senator Amidala. They are not pleased."

Anger. Everything about Anakin had been about anger, lately. Tainted by the dark side, but not completely fallen – the strands that held him to the light side were stretched almost to breaking. 

"And what about you, _Master_, are you pleased? I'll be punished for this. They'll kick me out this time – you know they will. I'll be gone, and you'll be free. You must be so happy." He sounded petulant but his eyes shone out, ready to kill. Underneath it all, though, there was something that made Obi-Wan aware that he needed to tread lightly: misery. Anakin was not only an angry young man, whose whole life was about to be turned upside down – again – but he was also a miserable and lonely one.

The order that was supposed to offer friendship and brotherhood had always been cautious about accepting Anakin. They had after a while, and he'd made a few friends, but their support tended toward the grudging, as for the most part they didn't understand him. In his whole life only three people had accepted him fully; two of those people were dead and the third would be in as much trouble as he when this storm broke.

In a way, though, Obi-Wan was angry as well. Or not angry, because that was of the dark side, but disappointed. _I tried so hard. I tried to teach him, but he wouldn't listen, he still doesn't listen._

To those ends, Obi-Wan was hardly surprised when Anakin lifted his sabre and ignited it. As far as he was concerned, his master's silence meant agreement with his statement. Obi-Wan was as sure of that as he was of anything. Anakin always believed people were out to get him, always believed they thought the worst of him. Of course, there had been very little in his life to convince him otherwise.

He lighted his own sabre in answer, but kept it lowered. Anakin was exceptionally fast and Obi-Wan had no desire to meet his padawan unready. At the same time, he didn't want to offer anything threatening. He wanted to convince the boy to be calm. He wasn't sure if that was possible. "Anakin, stop it! I have never wished you gone!"

"Don't lie! You resented me from the first day you met me! You didn't want me to be your apprentice! You only did it because Master Qui-Gon made you!" Where in the name of the Force had Anakin found that out? It wasn't strictly the truth, but the promise made to his old master at his death was supposed to be a secret.

"Anakin! Master Qui-Gon did no such thing!" How should he put this? Should he even say it? At this late date, Anakin would likely see it as a lie anyway. Obi-Wan doubted his apprentice had enough clarity of mind to sense a lie from truth, and he usually just let his beliefs affect his reasoning. So that what he perceived to be a lie, was a lie as far as he was concerned, whether it was or not.

Irrationally, and quite unexpectedly, Obi-Wan found himself wishing Senator Amidala was here. Anakin was often more settled when she was around. A few words from her and he generally calmed down. A sad truth, for Jedi were supposed to have their own inner calm, not have it come from an external source. Yet for Anakin, it did. Why did he have to break the code? _Because he felt he could do nothing else_.

They'd allowed Anakin several leniencies when they should have been strict and they had been strict when they should have been lenient. As a result, he'd learned how to break the rules, and also that he'd had to break the rules. Once Obi-Wan had believed the difficulties that Anakin brought with him would be curable, yet they hadn't proved to be so. Or had they? What had Obi-Wan missed? Could this, now, have been avoidable? Obi-Wan didn't have an answer, but he desperately wished he did.

"Why do you hate me?" The sudden change of track surprised Obi-Wan, but Anakin's moods had always been unpredictable. Meeting his Padawan's eyes, he saw a mixture of recrimination, fear, loathing, confusion – not all aimed at Obi-Wan – and inexplicably, hope; which in turn gave Obi-Wan hope. Some part of Anakin wanted redemption and he wanted his Master to give it to him. The small, lonely, desperate part that had once thought of Obi-Wan as a father.

"I don't hate you, Anakin. I never have." He prayed the boy would believe it – the statement was completely true. As much as Anakin had once thought of Obi-Wan as a father, Obi-Wan felt that Anakin was his son.

"Yes you do! You always have!" he shrieked and charged at Obi-Wan.

Not having enough time to be surprised Obi-Wan raised his lightsabre and it met Anakin's with a clash. He had to leap sideways, because the momentum created by Anakin's rage-driven rush would have bowled them over and he would have ended up skewered. Crazy, the boy was crazy, Obi-Wan concluded as Anakin leapt at him again. This time he held his ground and twisted his blade, sending Anakin's skywards, forcing the younger man to jump out of the way of his sabre. Before even a second had passed his apprentice was at him again, slashing his lightsabre at Obi-Wan, forcing Obi-Wan to engage.

At such close quarters, the slightest mistake would be deadly and yet Anakin wouldn't let Obi-Wan break away. He forced his master to keep deflecting his blows. 

They reached a stalemate. Between their locked sabres, the two men locked eyes. Two sets of blue glaring into one another. One set with sorrow, the other with anger. Then, unexpectedly – as it was not his style – Anakin shut off his blade. The sudden lack of resistance almost caused Obi-Wan to stagger; only a lifetime of training held him still. He shut down his blade, the threat of danger gone.

Silent moments passed where Anakin just looked at his master. Finally, he turned, wordlessly and stormed out. He was gone before Obi-Wan even thought to call out to him.

_Anakin…_

***

Anakin hit eject on the holorecorder and removed the disk. Before he did anything else, he would need to take this and put it somewhere safe. He considered sending it to the recipient, but doubted it would be received very well just yet. It would have to wait a while.

He regretted nothing so much as leaving Padmé on Coruscant alone, when the Council was gunning for the both of them, but he figured they'd leave her well enough alone. She wasn't who they were really after and hopefully they wouldn't stoop so low as to use her as a scapegoat, what with that being against the code and all. Of course, he wouldn't put it past them to be petty enough to blame her in his absence.

The Council, he knew, must be relieved to have a way of kicking Anakin out. It was what they'd wanted all along, which was why he didn't bother to stick around. He didn't wish to be there when they gave him the foregone conclusion. Still, he regretted leaving Padmé there. As the one person who had always supported him, she deserved none of this. But after this business was finished there would be no one to hurt them, and they could be together publicly, not just in secret.

The one person who had supported him except Palpatine, he reminded himself. He couldn't forget all Palpatine had done for him, and all he promised to do for him. Unlike the Jedi, Palpatine kept his promises, which was why Anakin supported Palpatine becoming Emperor. It was about time the galaxy had some direction and was ruled by someone who knew what he was doing. Yes, Palpatine would be good for everyone. And he'd promised Anakin a place in his new order. He knew what Anakin was capable of and he appreciated it.

So Anakin was going to meet Palpatine for a secret meeting in which he would receive orders on what to do next in order to make the galaxy a safer place. Anakin Skywalker promised himself he would do everything necessary to improve the state of affairs for all beings.

***

Padmé Amidala Skywalker had never felt more alone in her life as she stood silently awaiting the judgment of the twelve beings who ranged around her. To one side stood Obi-Wan Kenobi. His face was unreadable and he gave her no support, but nor had he offered any condemnation. He had not spoken once during the proceedings and she wondered if it were because he had nothing to say or if he was forbidden to speak.

She had been here well over an hour, standing in the centre of the room, being stared at from all directions by the Jedi Council. She was supremely uncomfortable, but did not let it show. She could not let anything show outwardly. She knew the mask was unnecessary as they could probably sense what she was feeling, but she'd be damned if she'd let them see it in her expression. 

They had asked her to annul her marriage to Anakin. Her answer had been brief and negative. So far no one had mentioned her pregnancy and she could let herself hope that they remained unaware of it. After all, the baby had just barely been started – it could not show very clearly in the Force, could it? She could not allow them to take Anakin away from her now. When she'd married him, she'd known they would find out and this would be their response should they discover. She'd made her decision, she would not renege on it now. Her baby needed its father – she would not remove that from it. Whereas the Jedi might; or worse, they might take the child from Padmé. She could not allow that to happen. 

Or would they? Was it possible they might help her if they knew? Maybe she should tell them and let them help her. She was sure that they had the ability and the power to do so. She was of half a mind to do so when Anakin's words rang through her mind as clearly as if he stood beside her. "_They can't even see what's in front of their faces._" He had implied there was something deeper going on than even the Council knew about, so she held her tongue, still trusting Anakin above everything.

"Grave this situation is," said a soft, ancient voice.

She looked at the wizened Jedi, "Yes, Master Yoda." She had no particular argument with that statement, and the slow crushing weight on her heart tightened its grip a little more. The venerable Jedi had spoken little throughout the proceedings, although all matters had probably been discussed in detail prior to her arrival. The force of his disappointment had been hovering over her, however, and it hurt. Yoda had always been kind and respectful to her – to have broken his trust in such a way was unfair of her.

"Aware of the Code, you were," he continued, his ears drooping slightly.

"Yes, Master Yoda," she nearly whispered, fighting tears, and feeling more alone than she could ever remember.

"No power, have we to punish you, and without Padawan Skywalker, pointless any words would be." He was looking at her directly, and she bowed her head, unable to meet his gaze any longer. "Much to think on, you have given us, young Senator. Speak to you again, I will." She was no longer a senator, but she didn't correct him. He knew.

"Yes, Master Yoda," she repeated herself, for lack of anything else to say.

"You may go now," Mace Windu's voice spoke from his place next to Yoda. She nodded, bowed deeply to the council, then turned and left as quickly as she could, trying her best not to look as if she was running away. Just as she was about to slip through the door, she caught Obi-Wan's gaze, but still could not tell what he was thinking.

As she walked through the near silent corridors of the Jedi Temple, she noted the differences. At this time of day, she knew there should be many people around: Knights, Padawans, Initiates. Yet the place was deserted, and those who were there kept their heads bowed and hurried on their way. Out of everyone, the Jedi Order had been hit hardest, their numbers decimated, and still the war was not completely over. She had heard the rumours as well, that there were strange assassins who hunted the Jedi, picking them off, one by one. 

Once she exited the main temple, she broke into a run, needing to escape. She ran to a nearby garden, knowing there would be no one there to bother her. Her apartment and office was too easy to reach and there would be someone who wanted her attention. She may have resigned her position as Senator, but with no replacement as of yet, there was work she had to attend to, work she had no energy for. Friends, too, would feel the need to help her, and she didn't want that. She just wanted to be alone.

She collapsed by the fountain, gasping for breath, and finally allowed the tears to come.

***

"You will let me see him! And you will let me see him now!" Padmé thumped the desktop of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine's master physician with bruising force, making papers flutter and the cold cup of caf slosh. She was furious, and taking no pains to hide it. Obi-Wan doubted he had ever seen her this angry. After two days of trying to gain access to Anakin, the stress of not being able to see him was beginning to show.

He reached out and placed a gentle hand on her arm, "Padmé—" he began, soothingly.

She was having none of it, "You!" she barked at him. "Stay out of it!" 

Guilt at not being able to save Anakin before he fell into the lava was enough that he did as she told him, no matter what his better sense told him. She turned back to the physician who, Obi-Wan noticed, looked distinctly ruffled. Small though she might be, the former Senator of Naboo was not a power to be taken lightly. 

"He is my husband, and I don't care what your orders are. You. Will. Let. Me. See. Him!" she paused. "NOW!" For a second it looked as if the man would obey her, but them the mask of professionalism slipped back into place.

"I'm sorry, milady, but the Supreme Chancellor has asked that Anakin Skywalker have no visitors."

Obi-Wan was sure she was going to leap across the desk and strangle the man. What he was not sure of was whether or not he cared to stop her. One of the nice things about not being a Jedi was that no one expected you to live up to quite the same high standard of morals. Of course, as a Jedi he was technically obliged to prevent her from attacking this man, but he could understand her anger and frustration. 

For the last two days, since Anakin had woken up, both of them had been trying to gain access to him. They had been met by a blank wall, which was apparently insurmountable. Even the Jedi Council, who Obi-Wan had approached the day before was unable to get past it, particularly as Anakin had apparently agreed to leave the Order in favour of Palpatine's service. As the absolute head of the Senate, and by default the galaxy, Palpatine had forbidden anyone – particularly Padmé and Obi-Wan – from seeing Anakin. None of his direct underlings were prepared to go against this.

As a result, the only person who was not a healer who had gotten in to see Anakin was Palpatine himself. Unfortunately, Palpatine also appeared to be unreachable, and Anakin's wife was nearly ready to commit murder to see her husband.

"I don't give a vrelt's ass, what the Supreme Chanc—" Obi-Wan felt his eyebrows rise – he wouldn't have thought the former Senator would have known such language – when she was interrupted.

"Now, now, my dear child," a smooth voice spoke up from the door, and the room's occupants all looked over at Palpatine, the physician with considerable relief, "Anakin's condition is most serious, and he needs rest. Any excitement at this stage could be fatal. I know you love your husband, but right now it's best if you let him heal in peace." He glided forward in a way that belied his age, and placed a hand on the young woman's arm, gently escorting her to the door, ignoring Obi-Wan completely.

For a second it looked as if the Chancellor's ploy was going to work, Padmé was exhausted and she was used to trusting Palpatine. The mistrust she now held for him was recent, and still hadn't had time to settle in properly. But she was an extraordinary person, with a very sharp mind.

Shaking off the dictator's hand she glared at him. "Don't touch me!" she practically screamed. "This is because of you! All of it! I trusted you, the galaxy trusted you, and yet you have betrayed us all!"

For a second something flickered through Obi-Wan's sense, some reaction in the Chancellor caused by Padmé's words. It was gone so quickly, though, he began to doubt he'd felt it at all. He shook off the sensation, unaware of the look the other man threw him.

"Milady, please, you should not be working yourself up like this. I know you are very worried about Lord Vader, as we all are, but you must not react like this. It is not helpful for your husband or yourself." His words were so smooth and Obi-Wan was so puzzled by his earlier reaction that he missed the nomenclature Palpatine had used. Padmé, however, was not nearly so preoccupied.

"Who is Lord Vader?" she gritted.

"Why your husband, of course – did he not inform you of his name change? He was most excited about it. He must have mentioned it to you." 

"He did no such thing. I'll accept what you say for now, but I expect to be informed the moment anything changes and I wish to see him by this time tomorrow." Padmé's expression was hard and uncompromising. Obi-Wan felt a momentary guilt at not having informed Padmé of Anakin's name change, but it got lost in the greater guilt and pain.

"Of course, I shall do everything to arrange it, you have my word." He sounded so solemn so sincere that Obi-Wan began to wonder what kind of man this was. Even his sense seemed to match his words. Was he just an ambitious politician, was he more – something dark and twisted – or did he honestly care? Or, more frighteningly, was he a mixture of all three? A dangerous combination to be sure.

"Master Kenobi." The cool eyes rested on Obi-Wan and he repressed the urge to shiver. "I'll have to ask you not to return. I'm sure you understand that your presence would just exasperate the Lord Vader's condition. The risk of such stress cannot be taken." 

Not officially part of the Jedi any more, Anakin came under Palpatine's direct control, and Obi-Wan would be breaking several laws and contravening a large number of the vows he'd undertaken as a Jedi, by going against that control. There would be no way around it; by virtue of her marriage to Anakin – one thing the boy had not taken back – Padmé would be allowed to see him as his next of kin, but Obi-Wan stood outside of this. His guardian papers for Anakin's care were gone, as was his solemn oath to protect Anakin as his apprentice. Unless Palpatine or Anakin – _Lord Vader_ – directly requested it, he might never see his padawan again. 

There was really nothing more to say, so Obi-Wan gently escorted Padmé down through Coruscant to her apartment. Then he returned to his own quarters at the temple.

Late that night, Padmé Amidala Skywalker was visited by an assassin. She was not there. When Obi-Wan went to see her early the next morning, she had completely disappeared. 

***

Palpatine held Anakin's hand in a paternal matter, as he brought very tragic news to his new apprentice. Tragic for Anakin, tragic for Anakin's wife, and tragic for the galaxy; yet not so for the soon-to-be Emperor. This would be Anakin's killing blow, the last turning point. From now on only Darth Vader would exist, and he would be in the sole possession of his new Master, the Sith Lord Darth Sidious.

"I'm sorry, my dear friend, but she seems to have fled Coruscant. No one knows where she has gone. Her last words to me were that I had betrayed her and that she wanted nothing to do with you." He added as much sorrow to his voice as he could manage. In such a state, Anakin would be able to read surface emotions only, not that Palpatine was very readable anyway.

Palpatine was certainly sorry. Sorry that the witch had gotten away before he could have her killed. He would have to rectify the situation and soon. He wouldn't want his newest servant to be distracted.

*****

 **A/N:** For those of you who didn't realise, I have posted a second companion piece. The new one is called "War of the Spoons" and is set when Luke and Leia are twelve. It and the previous piece, "Kimi's Story", can be found in my profile, under "Another Lifetime".

Oh, and any guesses who appears in the next chapter?


	17. Part Three: Chapter Fourteen

**Email:** kazzy@whoever.com

**Summary:** If every decision we make determines where we end up, what if instead of doing one thing, we do another? Obi-Wan and the Jedi never knew that Padmé was pregnant with Anakin's children. _Not that he was doing a very good job at being a Jedi._

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Star Wars. No, really, I don't. However, if someone would like to bequeath it to me, I wouldn't object. Some of the dialogue is lifted from the novelisation of ANH.****

**Notes: **Thanks to Kathy and Jedi Keladry for the beta!

_Two, nearly three years after Part Two._ ***** Chapter Fourteen 

Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born. – Anais Nin

"This," shrieked a voice that should have been above the human hearing range, "is all your fault!"

"I hardly think that's fair!" snapped a second voice – male.

"You did this deliberately! You knew I had to be out of here, and you planned this!" She was spluttering now, apparently too angry to do anything else.

Han Solo and his faithful co-pilot, Chewbacca, rounded the corner to see – outside the bay where they'd docked his ship – an arguing couple. He looked over at his friend and tilted his head questioningly. The only reply he got was a confused rumble. Chewie didn't know who these two were or what they were doing either.

"You only received your orders this morning! How was I supposed to know that the parts would take a week to get here? I ordered them _yesterday_!" The last word was stressed as if the man wanted to hit home just how unreasonable the woman was being.

She disagreed, but had run out of arguments and stomped off.

"Where are you going?"

"Looks like I'm going nowhere." She disappeared around a corner.

Her companion snarled a few choice words in Huttese and kicked the wall.

"Hey, kid!" Han called, and then flinched back as the young man spun and brought a blaster up to point at Han and Chewie. His own hand went to his hip, but the boy blinked – and he was little more than that, a boy – shifted slightly, and slipped the weapon back in its holster.

"Uh, sorry," he said, looking embarrassed.

"I should think so!" said Han, and Chewie mumbled an agreement. Han tried to slow his heartbeat a little – damn but the kid was a quick draw.

He looked so contrite that Han sighed, "It's okay, kid. No harm done. That your girlfriend?" he asked curiously, glancing down the way the brunette had gone.

The kid snorted, "Hardly. She's my sister." His eyes went back to being guarded, "Is this your docking bay?" At Han's nod, he continued, "Well, then I'm sorry for disrupting your peace, Captain. Good day."

He turned and was about to go the way his sister had gone when he spun back, "Actually – are you sure this is your ship?"

"Hey, kid," Han said, somewhat offended. "Do I look like I would lie?"

"Don't try me." The kid's voice was harder than his age should suggest, but no harder than many kids on the Rim ended up being. Han was used to the kind of life that produced such an attitude. Kids like this one could be found in spaceports on any Rim world. He should know – he'd been one once.

"Well, then believe the Wookiee," he thumbed his best friend. "They're among the most honourable beings in the galaxy." Chewie growled his agreement to that one, and to his surprise the kid looked up at the Wookiee, and then nodded slowly.

"No race is above deception, but if the Wookiee says you speak the truth, I'll believe you." The kid's attitude was really starting to annoy Han. Growing up on the Rim was one thing; acting like a suspicious know-it-all was another.

"What's it to you?" he asked finally, wondering if the kid was going to get to the point anytime soon.

"My sister and I are looking for a ride. She has to rendezvous with a ship, and I have to go to Yavin."

"Never heard of it."

"I wouldn't have expected you to."

"Look, kid…"

"Can you do it, or not?" As much as Han's patience was running out, he suspected the kid's was going even faster. Of course, he obviously had a temperamental sister to contend with. 

Han glanced up at Chewie. They were in a bind, after dropping that load of spice. They desperately needed the money to pay Jabba back. Giving the kid and his sister a ride to wherever they were going would go a long way toward paying that back. As deserted as this port was, they were not likely to find the ride they needed in the kind of time limit they had. This was Han and Chewie's chance.

"It'll cost you ten thousand."

"What?" snarled the kid. "I could almost buy a ship for that price!"

"Yeah," drawled Han, "but where? This ain't exactly a bustling port filled with people looking to sell."

The kid was silent, thinking it over. By his expression, Han knew he was going over the stats and not finding any other option. He doubted the kid had access to that kind of money, but he was desperate enough that he'd accept whatever the boy offered him. If he could actually get ten thousand out of him, he'd be very surprised but gratified.

"Fine," the kid said at last, sharply. "I can pay you two thousand now, and the rest when I get to Yavin." He must be really desperate, then. Two thousand was a good fee, and the kid looked like he meant it when he said he would pay the rest. Of course, looks meant very little in this business. Still, Han was sure he could handle the kid if it came to a fight. No matter how fast he was on the blaster.

"Han Solo," Han said by way of introduction. "And this is Chewbacca the Wookiee."

"Luke, and my sister is Leia."

"You got a last name to go with that, Luke?"

His expression hardened, "Not today."

Han shrugged; it wasn't really his business. "Fine. Be back here in an hour."

***

"Leia?" He slid into the booth opposite his sister. She looked up only to glare at him and he felt her annoyance. She was nursing a drink; her first, he knew, and she'd only taken a sip or two of it. Leia, like himself, drank only rarely. There were techniques for suppressing the effect of alcohol, but the more you drank the harder it became to remember to use them. At any rate, a Jedi needed to remain aware of their surroundings at all times.

Not that he was doing a very good job at being a Jedi.

Unfortunately, this was what annoyed Leia the most: Luke allowing his training to slide. Ever since leaving Naboo he'd found it harder and harder to use the Force, as if it had suddenly become slippery. Yet it hadn't really, because Leia was not having the same problem. She had taken to harping at him to meditate, but he found that next to impossible – he no longer had a centre to rely on. He knew he could use the Force as an extra sense while in the cockpit, but he could not rely on it, or rather could not bring himself to rely on it.

He desperately wished Obi-Wan were around, but he was probably dead, slain by Vader on Tatooine two years ago. He'd be able to ask Obi-Wan about his troubles then, and he'd have better training.

"I've found us a ride," he offered, hoping to curb his sister's annoyance. "I think they might be smugglers, and they are charging us a fare that is beyond shocking, but they'll be able to get us there."

She didn't say anything for a long time and he stretched out slowly, trying to reach her. Touching her in the Force was as easy as it had always been. It was the one thing he could count on.

There was an answering brush from his sister, a gentle caress of apology for being so snappish with him before. He stretched his hand across the table and she reached out and gripped it reassuringly. No matter what troubles there were between them, she was still his twin, and he was still hers.

"I'm not angry about the ride, Luke. I'm not angry at all."

"I know," he said.

"I wish you'd let me help you," she said, only the barest signs of frustration colouring her tone. He knew, however, that it was something he needed to work on alone. As much as he loved his sister, he knew that she could not help him here; the only person who could hadn't been seen in years.

"I can't do that, Leia." At his answer, her jaw tightened. To her credit, she didn't say anything and he could see her working at letting it go.

He brought her hand to his cheek, pressing his over it. "I love you, Leia."

"And I love you, even if you are the most stubborn being in the galaxy!"

He snickered, "And look who's calling the kettle black!"

She laughed now, too. He was so glad to hear it. He'd been looking forward to the mission they'd just completed as a chance to spend some time with his sister. When they'd joined the Rebellion, they found for the first time in their lives that they were separated for long periods of time. Both knew it was part of growing up, but that didn't make it easier.    

They'd spent most of the mission either arguing or in tense silence. Luke missed his twin, missed being near her, and having that comfort nearby if he needed it. Everything, including the Force, felt cold when she wasn't around. On one of their brief moments of peace she'd admitted she felt the same way when he wasn't around.

"Come on," he said. "I've got to figure out a way to pay this pirate." Still holding her hand he tugged her to her feet and gave her a brief hug before they left. Their troubles would have to wait for another day.

***

"What a junk heap! I'll be surprised if it gets off the ground! We'd have more luck in the _World Bouncer_, than on _this_!" Offhand Han would say his passengers had arrived.

But he couldn't allow an insult like that to go unanswered. He stepped into view, to see Luke and Leia standing out front. Waving his hydrospanner at the young woman, he said, "Look here, sister, she may not look like much, but she's the fastest ship in the galaxy! She'll make point five past lightspeed – and she'll get you where you need to go."

"You'd better be right, Captain – you're charging us enough!" Great. There would be two sharp-tongued youngsters on his ship for the next several days. He was gladder than ever that his boasts about the _Millennium Falcon_ were true. He had a feeling that before long he would want nothing better than to dump these two off at wherever they needed to be.

"You get what you pay for in this world," he snapped.

"Likewise," she answered. A hand on her arm from her brother stopped her and Han was reassured. He was this close to telling them to find other transportation – Jabba's repayments be damned. 

She was pretty, though – Leia. Dark hair pulled sharply away from her face and snapping dark eyes. She was small and delicate looking; an image that needed rapid changing the second she opened her mouth. He'd met nexu with less bite. It was not so much the words as the tone. She was one cool ice-princess.

A very beautiful ice-princess to be sure, if you could get past all that coldness. He wondered what she'd be like in bed. Then he sharply told himself to pull up – neither of his two passengers looked out of their teens. She was probably a good ten years his junior, at the very least.

Chewie had come out of the _Falcon_ to greet their passengers; and Leia was now talking to him, pointedly asking what he was doing with a pirate like Han. Chewie rumbled about his life-debt. "I find that hard to believe," she snorted. Interesting, so she understood Wookiee – did her brother? 

They weren't Imperials then. Luke had implied earlier that Wookiees had honour. That did not suggest human-supremacist Imperial thinking to him. They were young enough that unless they'd been taught otherwise deliberately, they would be inclined to believe the propaganda about non-humans. Rebels? That would explain the secrecy. However, they were Outer-Rim brats, he'd put good money on it, and had probably been raised near a spaceport somewhere. Likely they simply had an experience with a large range of species.

He flicked his gaze to Luke, expecting him to have been following the conversation between Leia and Chewie. They had moved on from disparaging Han to the _Falcon's_ general capabilities. 

The kid, however, was not paying either Chewie or his sister any attention; instead he was glaring at Han. Evidently he had picked up on Han's appraisal of Leia. _Great, just what I need: an ice princess and her over-protective brother._

"Are we going?" Leia's icy tone cut through Han's thoughts.

Waving her ahead of him, he started up the ramp. It was going to be a long few days.

***

Luke delivered his sister into the hands of the Senator of Alderaan. The mission she was taking on – something so top secret that even he, Leia's twin, could not know about it – involved guarding Senator Wellam. At least, that's what it looked like to him.

He himself was talking to the Senator and Captain Colton of the _Tantive IV. _Both men were friends of his mother and sister, even if he didn't know them so well. Leia was currently arguing non-stop with the Captain Solo_._ They hadn't stopped sniping from their first meeting. Prior to this, Luke thought he was the only person who could get Leia that angry, that often. Couldn't Han see what he was doing? He should leave her alone.

"Your trip here was smooth, I take it?" Captain Colton asked.

Despite all the manners his mother had tried her hardest to bang into his skull as a child, Luke snorted. "Smooth isn't quite the word I'd use, Captain." He winced as Leia delivered a stinging retort at Han, and Han answered with something bordering on crude.

Wellam and Colton only chuckled. "I'm sure Captain Solo means her no real harm."

"Yes, sir. Senator…"

"Yes, Luke?"

"About his fee…"

"Don't worry about. You did what you had to do, and I'll arrange for the rest to be paid directly into an account for Captain Solo. What we're to do is a matter of huge importance – its success could mean success for the Rebellion; its failure could mean annihilation for everyone. That's why his highness asked for Leia, one of you should be here." The Senator was one of the few people who knew that Luke and Leia were Jedi. "I would have asked for both of you, but that would call too much attention on us. Besides, having you on Yavin prepared for what's going to happen will be a relief."

Luke was chilled by the Senator's tone, and something deep and foreboding settled in his stomach. He turned his head aside and worked his jaw. Something was horribly, horribly wrong.

"Luke!" Leia's voice rang clearly through his hazy fear, and he felt her warm arms slip around his waist. But he wasn't there. He was on the bridge of a huge ship. Senator Wellam was there, Leia was there, Darth Vader was there and stormtroopers were scattered about. A flash of light and the planet before them shattered into billions of pieces.

When he opened his eyes – had he closed them? – he was kneeling on the cracked durocrete; Leia was before him, holding him. The Senator and Captain Colton hovered a few feet away, but turned aside, giving the twins some privacy. Although he could not see them, he felt Han and Chewie looking on with curiosity. There were others too, the crew of the _Tantive IV_, milling around.The Force, which had been difficult to sense for so long, now came crashing back to him. He could feel every living thing around him. He closed his eyes. It was too much and he couldn't understand. Gradually it all faded away, leaving only the faint link from before. Luke wasn't sure what was worse.

"What did you see?" whispered his sister.

He didn't answer. "Don't go," he begged, instead. "Please, Leia, don't go." It was more of a prayer that a request.

"I have to, Luke. I don't have a choice. Whatever you saw, this is bigger than both of us. Remember also, that the future is always in motion." She pulled her arms tighter around him and he rested his head on her shoulder. "It'll be all right, Luke, you'll see."

But it wouldn't. He didn't think it could be. 

***

Please review.


	18. Part Three: Chapter Fifteen

**Email:** kazzy@whoever.com

**Summary:** If every decision we make determines where we end up, what if instead of doing one thing, we do another? Obi-Wan and the Jedi never knew that Padmé was pregnant with Anakin's children. 

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Star Wars. No, really, I don't. However, if someone would like to bequeath it to me, I wouldn't object. ****

**Notes: **Thanks to Kathy and Jedi Keladry for the beta!! :)

**Chapter Fifteen**

*****

Hope is like the gleaming taper's light, adorns and cheers our way; and still, as darker grows the night, emits a brighter ray.  – Ovid

*****

Leia didn't have time to make sure the droids made it into an escape pod and down to Tatooine. She would just have to hope that the information they carried would be retrievable. She did, however, risk sending her brother a message through the Force. 

*Luke, the droids! The droids! You must find the droids. Tatooine, Luke! Tatooine!* She didn't have a chance to wait for an answer or an acknowledgement – it was too dangerous. Darth Vader was about to board the Tantive IV, and she couldn't risk him overhearing. She'd already risked too much. She only hoped he hadn't heard what she'd sent to her brother. 

A stormtrooper patrol made their way past her hiding spot and she closed her eyes, drawing in a deep breath. Luke had asked – begged – her not to come. She still didn't know what he'd seen, but from the whiteness of his cheeks and the fear he'd radiated, she knew it had been bad. A Jedi always did her duty, but a small part of Leia wished she'd listened to her brother.

***

_"May the Force be with you, Luke."_

_He looked at her grimly, and his next words surprised her. "Good luck, Leia." Had his faith in the Force, in his abilities, fallen that far?_

_She could see him waiting for her comment, his mouth set in a hard line, but she didn't say anything. She just leaned over and hugged him, trying to give him some of the strength of her own conviction._

***

Had the Force really deserted them both? She shook her head to clear it. This really was not the time to start having doubts. Opening her eyes and taking in another deep breath, she reached out and scanned the corridor. No one was there; it would be safe for her to go out.

She met two stormtoopers around the next corner, who fired on her, and she blocked them with her lightsabre. Their surprise was enough to enable her to get close enough to cut both down. She regretted their deaths, as she regretted every death, but knew there was little else to be done. Letting the guilt flow off her and into the Force, she moved forward, never noticing the troopers behind her.

They hit her with a stun blast and the last thing she thought, before slipping completely into unconsciousness, was a curse for her mistake in keeping her awareness in front of her and not all around.

***

Luke, in his miniscule cabin aboard the _Millennium Flacon_, startled awake breathing heavily. 

"Wha-what?" he asked sleepily into the empty darkness.

_Luke, the droids! The droids! You must find the droids. Tatooine, Luke! Tatooine!_ He received his sister's message loud and clear. However, when he attempted to reach out to her, he found her gone. Not dead, just out of his reach.

Activating the glow panel beside his bed he looked at his wrist-chrono. A little under three hours before they came out of hyperspace above Yavin IV. Only they weren't going to come out over the jungle moon. Not now.

He threw back the covers and left his cabin in search of the captain of this, admittedly fast, hunk of junk. Han Solo, he knew, would not be pleased at the sudden change of destination, but Luke was just going to have to convince him. If that took more money, so be it. Leia was in trouble and Luke would do anything to help her. Anything.

There was also her rather confusing message. What droids, and why would they be on Tatooine? She couldn't have made it any clearer, could she? How in the galaxy was he supposed locate droids on that planet? _Just any droids, Leia, or did you have a few in mind?_ There was no answer. He stomped into the cockpit, looking for Han or Chewie, determined to pull them all out of hyperspace himself if he had to.

***

The gardens at the palace in Aldera were simply beautiful. They reminded her so much of the ones at the palace in Theed. She used to love walking through those.

They did not exist anymore in Theed. Oh, some were still present, of course. Even Palpatine would have trouble stamping out that much green. Sadly though, the bulk of them now had ugly, squat offices on top of them.

About eight months ago, on one of her rare visits to her family, she had summoned up the courage to see the palace. One look had been enough to make her flee in grief. It was, she reflected, why the Rebellion was so important. Palpatine had been allowed to crush so much beauty and good that he could not be allowed to continue.    

If she, Padmé Amidala Skywalker, had to personally see to it that things changed, then so be it. Luckily, though, she was not alone. The Rebel Alliance was slowly growing. Very soon there would be enough of them to challenge the Emperor. Maybe not to win, but enough to show Palpatine they would not die off easily.

_And Darth Vader, what will _you_ show him, Padmé?_ She pushed her thoughts aside – Vader had made his choices. People had told her over and over she could not hold herself responsible for them. Maybe she should believe them. 

He stood on one side and she stood on the other. She would not move from this, not now. She had believed in democracy and freedom her entire life. He followed a despot, and carried out a monster's will. He was so mired in the dark side he would not want to change. 

Once, they had determined that politics would not come between them. Now they were at opposite ends of the scale, and there was nothing but politics between them.

"Lady Pala! Milady!" A breathless girl of fourteen ran up to her. Dark haired and eyed she was dressed in the formal clothes of the House of Organa. Bail's daughter, Amaline.

"Your highness." Padmé inclined her head respectfully. 

The young girl paused in confusion, even though Padmé had never been anything but respectful. However, neither she nor her younger brother, Roake, were entirely certain about this strange friend of their father. They knew their father accorded the 'Lady Pala Antilles' with a great respect and warmth, but they didn't know why. She came and went from the palace where she lived. And as far as they could tell, she was associated with no one that they could discover. They had tried. Padmé caught them sneaking around about a year ago, trying to figure it out. She found the whole experience amusing, though Bail found it less so.

"Uh, my father wishes to see you as soon as it's convenient with you. He's in his, uh, study. I think it's important." She was still panting slightly, and the words came out in starts.   

"Thank you. You can tell him that I am not currently otherwise occupied, and will make my way to see him immediately."

The girl nodded, and took off. Padmé watched her go, amused. As far as she could tell, Amaline hadn't walked anywhere, ever. The former Senator knew how hard it could be to walk in formal clothes, let alone run in them, but Amaline seemed to manage just fine. 

Changing direction and heading for Bail's personal study, Padmé wondered what could be so important. There were many things a woman who did not exist could do for an organisation as illegal as the Rebellion. However, few of them began with an abrupt summons, conveyed by a teenage princess. Something was different already, and different didn't necessarily mean good.

Bail answered her light tap on the door immediately, looking drawn and tired. When she entered, she got the feeling he was dreading something. Bail Organa, one-time Senator of Alderaan, Viceroy of Alderaan, Leader of the Rebel Alliance, afraid? She must be mistaken. He'd probably been awake all night organising a trip to some war-torn world smuggling food. Perhaps that's what he wanted to talk to her about.

_I should be so lucky._

"Padmé, please sit down." There was no way she could ignore the tension in his voice, nor the fact he'd used her proper name and not her assumed one.

Declining his invitation, she walked over to where he stood at the window, silhouetted by the late afternoon sun. She gently placed a hand on his arm. "Bail, what is it?"

"You're going to want to sit down," he answered her. He sounded so pained. Bail Organa had been the first friend she'd ever made when she entered the Galactic Senate. They'd agreed on many things and had stood together on many issues. She could not remember him ever looking at her like that.

She frowned, but squeezed his arm gently in comfort before she sat.

He took in a deep breath and she saw a muscle jump in his cheek. Bail had been in politics most of his life. The amount of stress he must be under if he was outwardly showing the strain had to be incredible. "Vader has taken possession of the _Tantive IV_. The plans for the Emperor's new super weapon were aboard it."

She heard her own sharp in take of breath. Palpatine's super weapon was no more than a rumour to most people. Until now, Padmé herself would not have been able to either confirm or deny its existence had she been asked. However, if a ship belonging to the royal house of Organa had been discovered carrying stolen top-secret Imperial information, the ramifications for Alderaan would be huge.

He looked over at her and the pain in his eyes darkened further. "There's more. Padmé…Leia was on board."

She hadn't heard him properly. In no way could it be possible for him to have told her that her daughter had been on ship that had been taken by a Dark Lord of the Sith. There was no way.

But he was looking at her with guilty, sad eyes. A familiar look. Obi-Wan had worn it when he told her of Anakin's fall. She'd worn it when offering personal condolences after the Trade Federation's occupation of Naboo, and then again during the Clone War. It was the look you gave when you had to tell someone you'd sent their loved one to his or her death.

"Padmé?"

"Please don't play with me, Bail."

"I'm so sorry, Padmé."

What she wanted was to cry or to scream. To destroy something. No. Someone. She wanted to go to Vader and kill him. To take out the greatest source of pain in her life. The one person who had taken everything that had ever mattered from her and now sought to take her children. _How could you do this to me, Anakin? How could you?!_

Yet, she would not. It would achieve nothing except her own death, and she could not help her children if she were dead. Sometimes that was all she had to keep her alive: the knowledge that if she died, she would lack the ability to protect Luke and Leia.

With that in mind, she met the eyes of her old friend. He did not ask for her forgiveness, but he had it anyway. Leaders made decisions that were for the good of the people. No matter how much it hurt he would not have done this if it had not been necessary.

"I'll need a ship. A fast one."

"You can't take on Vader."

"That's my baby girl." The thing about not being a leader, about not even being a registered citizen, was that you were not bound by considering the greater good. Padmé had fought much of her life for the betterment of the people, but when it came to her children, none of it mattered.

"What is he going to do? What's the first thing he's going to do when he lays eye on you, Padmé? You can't save Leia if you're dead, or in an Imperial prison."

"The first thing he's going to discover about her is her name, Bail. Whether he gets it out of her or out of someone else on that ship, he's going to get it. You know that. Most of them will consider her name as being a relatively unimportant piece of information. Leia _Skywalker_. It won't take him more than a second to put two and two together, and not much more than that to run a DNA test. Then he'll either kill her or take her to Palpatine. Death will be merciful for both her and the galaxy. I'm not letting her go without a fight." She knew she sounded fatalistic. She didn't care.

For the better part of two decades, she had kept a secret. A few people knew that secret, but most did not. It had been vital that Palptine not discover her secret. Telling Vader or Anakin would have amounted to telling the Emperor, so that had been out of the question. To be honest, by the time she had discovered she was pregnant, Anakin hadn't been interested in much of anything other than himself, anyway.

"Padmé…" 

She didn't waver.

He turned aside. "I can't make any promises, but I'll try."

She resisted the urge to tell him that there was no 'try'. "I can ask no more than that. But can you get a message through to Luke that under no circumstances is he to chase after his sister?"

Considering it must have been at the tip of his tongue to remind her that she was forbidding her son from doing exactly what she was about to do, she was impressed at the restraint he showed. 

"I've tried," he said softly. "He was due to turn up at Yavin hours ago, but there has been no sign of him."

"Damn him!" she snarled. Now she had two children to find. Why couldn't Luke let his mother's mind be at peace, and keep himself out of trouble?

She shook her head violently and stood. She would have to leave Alderaan whether Bail could find her a ship or not. There was much to do before then.

Bail stopped her at the door, gripping her wrist to hold her in place for a moment. "I wish you wouldn't do this."

"And I wish there were lots of things that wouldn't happen, but both you and I are old enough to know better." She met his eyes defiantly. There was something she wished she could say, but she didn't know what it was.

He tilted his head at her and shook it slightly, still holding her arm firmly. "Padmé…" She found she was surprised at how close he was standing to her. She was even more surprised a few seconds later when he kissed her.

As kisses went it was soft, and almost chaste. For a small moment she lost track of her thoughts on her missing children and murdering husband.

Then Bail stepped back, and this time she was surprised her sudden want for him to stay where he was, but knowing nonetheless that it would not be wise. 

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

She shook her head, "Don't be. I just don't think right now is the time for this."

He gave a sad smile, "Of course not. Go save your children, Padmé. There'll be time later."

The smile stirred something in her she thought had been dead for a long time. She turned and almost fled down the corridor to her rooms.

***

Leia supposed she should be surprised she was alive, but right now her head hurt too much. Waking up from a stun blast was never fun. Waking up from a stun blast to find yourself in the hands of the Empire was even less fun.

Opening her eyes to find herself locked in a cell, she wondered if she should be grateful for the fact that there was no one to see her. When nausea forced her over to the small refresher unit, she stopped wondering and was just plain grateful.

It didn't last for long. The door to her cell swished open and two stormtroopers entered, followed by Darth Vader himself.

"Jedi," he snapped.

"Sith," she answered, regretting her voice carried little of its usual vigour and none of Vader's power.

"You will answer my questions," he did not bother to put any Force suggestion into his words. She supposed he was saving that for later, after she stopped being agreeable. Sadly for her, that probably wasn't going to be too much later. She had no intention of being at all agreeable.

"No, I will not."

For several heartbeats the only reply came as Vader's harsh breathing.

Just when she thought she was going to have to say something, he spoke. "If you value your life, and that of your fellow rebels, you will."

A nasty bit of manipulation. She would not bow, though. Those blue prints were far more vital than the combined lives of the crew and passengers of the _Tantive IV_. 

Firm hands gripped her upper arms. Vader turned and cloak flowing behind him, strode out of the room. The stormtroopers on either side of her practically lifted her feet of the ground as they bodily steered her after him. There were four more with their blasters trained on her. And even more in the corridor outside her room.

Leia started plotting her escape. She didn't get very far. She could not plant Force suggestions in this many minds at once. Chances were that even if she could free herself from these troopers one would retain enough of his mind to stun her. Then there was Vader. Should she escape the stormtroopers, he was a powerful Force-user with decades of training above her own. It would be unlikely that she could evade him. Even if she did, she still had no way of getting off this massive space station.

The only hope she had left was Luke. She would just have to trust he got her message and could find the droids. Of course, then it was only the little matter of him recognising the droids importance and getting them to the Rebellion in time to prevent the Death Star from doing real damage to the galaxy. Easy. 

_We're all doomed._  

Vader entered a room to one side and Leia was dragged in after him. She was pushed into a chair and manacled to it and then to the floor.

Unable to resist the urge, Leia gave the heavy chains around her ankles and wrists a tug. Everything was tightly fastened. Some sort of Force-resistant locks? Possibly. Obi-Wan had mentioned them once. He'd said that they were believed to have been used during the purges, but no one had ever been able to prove their existence. Anyone who had been held by them didn't live to tell. Again though, should she escape the bonds there was Vader, standing over her, looking menacing.

The darkside flowed around him and through him, making Leia feel queasy and her headache strengthen.

"What is your name?"

Name, rank and serial number – wasn't that standard information? She wasn't sure she should give it to him, though. The galaxy didn't seem to be populated by Skywalkers. There were only two others living that she knew about, and she did not want Vader to know about them.

"Can't tell you that."

"Where are the other Jedi?"

"What other Jedi? I thought you killed them all." 

"I advise you to be more co-operative, Jedi. It will be better for you in the end."

"I can't do that."

"Then I will have to be more persuasive." With that the door opened and Leia felt dread settled in her stomach: an Imperial interrogation droid.

Withstanding it was not beyond her capabilities; she would not tell the Empire what they wanted to know. Still, she knew how much pain she was in for.

***

The two droids had been found. A tall, gold plated bipedal protocol droid with the serial number C-3PO, and a short, squat astromech droid – R2D2. No-one could understand Lord Vader's rage when he found out this particular piece of information. Troopers that had been in the vicinity at the time later described his reaction as someone who had been offered the ultimate insult. This observation never reached Vader's ears, of course.

Apparently they had been found on a small-time moisture farm. The occupants of the farm had been destroyed and the attack made to resemble one carried out by Tusken Raiders. It wouldn't do for people to think the Empire had anything to do with it. 

The droids contained details of the Death Star.

They also contained details of an anonymous number that the captive Jedi wanted a message relayed to about their whereabouts. A substantial reward was offered for the person who did so.

Rather than wiping their memories, Vader ordered them to be transported to Coruscant, with himself and the Jedi. There would be slicers there who might be able to trace the number to its origin, trapping a member of the Rebellion.  

*****


	19. Part Three: Chapter Sixteen

**Email:** kazzy@whoever.com

**Summary:** If every decision we make determines where we end up, what if instead of doing one thing, we do another? Obi-Wan and the Jedi never knew that Padmé was pregnant with Anakin's children. **_Vader's rage knew no bounds.**_

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Star Wars. No, really, I don't. However, if someone would like to bequeath it to me, I wouldn't object. ****

**Notes: **Vader heavy. 

Thanks to Katy for the beta. :-)****

I should take this opportunity to apologise for all the formatting errors at the beginning of each chapter. I don't think ff.net likes my computer and so seems to wipe out some of the bolds and italics. Chapter Sixteen

*****

The truth is rarely pure and never simple. –Oscar Wilde 

*****

Vader stormed into his quarters within his master's precious new toy, the Death Star. The Jedi was uncooperative. For such a young thing, she was remarkably resistant. Strong-minded. 

She reminded him of another powerful woman with similar dark hair and eyes. 

He banished the image from his mind.

She was definitely the young woman from Tatooine. She was undoubtedly Kenobi's apprentice, possibly his child as well. Vader's master would be pleased. Perhaps he would give her to Vader to train. She was very powerful, and there was a lot he could do with an apprentice of that calibre at his side.

There was still the issue of her name. She had no reason to hide it from him. Unless, perhaps she was protecting the boy who had been in the picture he had found on Tatooine. It was possible the two were siblings and she wanted to keep her brother safe.

He called up the copy of the holopicture he had of the two. Ostensibly he'd kept a copy of the picture as a reference for hunting them down. That did not explain why he felt it necessary to check on the picture regularly. It was a weakness he had to hide from Palpatine. Another one.

A younger version of the young woman that was sitting in a cell, guarded by more than twice the normal amount of stormtroopers for a prisoner. And a young man with blond hair blue eyes. Memory tugged at him. The Force nudged him. Something about these two was so familiar, but he just could not put a finger on it. In frustration, he shut the holo down.

The reports from the interrogation of Senator Wellam had contained no information of the young Jedi travelling with him. Vader needed to rectify that before Tarkin's show tomorrow.

First though, he had to contact his master.  

Surprisingly enough the call went through immediately, as if Palpatine was expecting to hear from him. Vader knelt in front of the holographic image of his master.

"My friend," crackled the Emperor, "what is the news?"

"The information collected from the Senator is negligible, my master. He refuses to give the location of the rebel base."

"Perhaps he will be more amenable after he is given a display of my battle station's might."

"Yes, my master." Vader was less sure, but he wasn't going to contradict Palpatine.

"What about our young Jedi?"

"She has said nothing. Her will is exceptionally strong for one so young."

"It is no matter. Kill her. She will not trouble us again."

He would have to tread carefully here. Palpatine had obviously decided that the Jedi was no use to him. Perhaps she wasn't, but she was of use to Vader. "My master," he paused, searching for the right words.

"Yes, Lord Vader?" The warning in Palpatine's words was so subtle that only someone who had served him for as long as Vader would have picked up on it.

"She is very powerful. Perhaps it would be wise to let her live. She would be a great boon to the dark side, if she could be turned."

There was a long pause, in which Vader hardly dared to breathe – his Master's temper could be uncertain when it came to the Jedi. However, when Palpatine spoke, he sounded thoughtful. "Perhaps you are right, Lord Vader. Bring her to me and I will deal with her."

Palpatine's answer was not at all what Vader wanted. However, there would be ways to see to the Jedi's training personally, so he didn't comment. "As my master wishes," he intoned and Palpatine ended the call.

*****

"Senator Wellam."

"Vader, Tarkin and his goons have already questioned me. They got nothing – because I have nothing to hide – what makes you think you will be successful?" The man's petty defiance did not bother Vader. He was a little annoyance, and little annoyances could be squashed easily enough.

"I am not interested in what Grand Moff Tarkin had to say. I have other questions."

"I was part of a diplomatic mission delivering aid to worlds besieged by war. You have no right to hold myself or my crew," he said tiredly.

"That does not interest me." It did, but it was not foremost in Vader's mind. "I want answers on the Jedi you were carrying."

"I don't know what you're talking about Lord Vader. I know no Jedi." Considering it was treason to harbour a Jedi, the answer was expected. The slight wave of protectiveness that the man was giving off, however, was not. The loyalty the Senator felt for the Jedi implied more than just self-preservation. Unusual. In Vader's opinion, few politicians served anything but their own ends.

"What is her name?"

"Lord Vader, I have already told you that there were no Jedi on board the _Tantive IV_. To my knowledge there are none whatsoever left in the galaxy. Why do you persist in asking me this?" An outright lie, but Vader did not bother to call him on it.

Instead, he thrust a holopicture at the man. It was not the one found on Tatooine, but rather one taken since the young Jedi's captivity on board the Death Star. "Perhaps then, Senator, you recognise this young woman? She was found on board your ship, carrying a lightsabre."

"I was not aware that only Jedi could carry lightsabres." Convenient as prevarication, but not a well-known piece of information. 

"Who is she?"

"I cannot tell you. She was just a volunteer we picked up to do relief work." Interesting, so that wasn't a complete lie.

The conversation degenerated from there, and Vader was forced to use other means to convince the Senator to tell him who the Jedi was. 

The knowledge was inevitable. It was only one name. In comparison to the other secrets the Senator had refused to tell, it was just a little thing. He gave in, and Vader finally found out the identity of one of the Jedi he'd been hunting for over the last two years.

Leia _Skywalker_.

***

Vader's rage knew no bounds. As he stormed through the halls, stormtroopers literally scattered out of his way. None of them wanted to fall in his line of sight. They were too afraid that if he was allowed to look at them for any length of time, they would find themselves dead.

Someone was going to pay for this and they were going pay dearly. How dare no one tell him about this? How dare _she_ not tell him about this? How dare she? It was his right to know.

He rounded a corner, but didn't notice when the general in front of him forgot all his training, turned tail and ran back the way he came. He wasn't sure where he was going but he was going to make sure it wasn't anywhere near Lord Vader.

The Sith held in his hands a copy of the DNA test he'd had one of the specialists assigned to the Death Star run. It stated explicitly that the Jedi (Sample A), held in the detention centre, was almost assuredly the biological child of the owner of the second set of DNA (Sample B) provided.

In short, the person who the Senator of Alderaan claimed to be Leia Skywalker was in fact the daughter of Anakin Skywalker; and by default, Darth Vader. The Jedi were not the off-spring of Obi-Wan Kenobi at all.

He had not needed the test to prove it – not really. Once the Senator had waved the knowledge under his nose, it had become glaringly obvious. The Jedi's resemblance to her mother, the former Senator of Naboo, was all too apparent. Furthermore, her brother looked so much like a young Anakin Skywalker it was nearly uncanny. There was also enough alikeness to each parent and one another to deal the final blow.

Jedi twins. Anakin Skywalker had Jedi twins. And no one had told him.

Now within his quarters, he held the holopicture of Leia Skywalker and her brother, and nearly crushed it in his hands as rage threatened to overcome him.

His traitorous wife had not only taken one look at him and fled after Kenobi's disastrous attempt on his life, she'd lied to him as well. Of course it had probably been the Force-damned Jedi who had made her lie, but she'd lied nonetheless. _How dare she!_

What was his master going to say when he found out Anakin Skywalker had children? Should Vader even tell him?

The thought stopped Darth Vader cold for the first time since he'd squeezed the information out of the Senator from Alderaan. Not tell Emperor Palpatine? The ramifications would be greater than prediction could possibly say, Vader knew. The Force, a constant in his life, whispered it to him. Knowledge was power and the knowledge of this girl and her brother was, so far, Vader's alone. Palpatine knew nothing of their relationship to his most loyal servant. For long moments, Vader pondered what he could do, how far he could take this.

Skywalker's children would take after their father, the girl proved this much. She had so much raw power, with enough training to ensure control. Combining the strength of all three, Vader could—

He snapped the thought off before it could proceed. Palpatine had survived a long time, through many assassination attempts and traitorous attacks. He knew when others around were plotting against him. Not even Vader was completely safe from this awareness. Treason was dealt with swiftly and harshly.

So Vader turned his thoughts to how he could bring the knowledge to his master in such a way that would benefit him and his position. He needed all the leverage he could get. Others were daring to challenge the place Lord Vader had held at his master's side for so long.

With this project, Tarkin had risen sharply in the Emperor's favour. The man was power hungry enough that he would do anything to get to the top. He was ambitious and relatively intelligent. He was not, however, a match for Darth Vader. It was only a matter of time before the man would slip up. Lack of patience was a trait that Anakin had passed on to Vader, but Vader had learned control. He could wait. No matter how much pleasure it would to give him to strangle the man.

Mara Jade was Vader's only other current rival for Palpatine's favour. And Vader was willing to bet she'd last much longer than the Grand Moff. The Emperor's Hand was cunning enough to be able to stick around. Also, unlike Tarkin, she was unswervingly loyal. Eventually, he would out-manoeuvre himself. She, however, would do no such thing.

If Vader could convince his master to let him train this new apprentice, he would have something of his own to use against those who thought to rise higher in the Emperor's favour. Leia Skywalker would be a powerful tool for the dark side. A powerful tool for Vader.

If his master allowed it.

***    

"Leia Skywalker," he said as pleasantly as he could manage.

Glancing up as he entered her cell, she pushed herself as upright as she could manage, glaring him all the while. She was undoubtedly in great amounts of pain. Not only had she had to endure his own round of torture, but one from the Grand Moff's people regarding who and where the droids had been destined for. 

She hid her agony well. Her eyes were only slightly unfocused, her movements a little stiff, and her impressive shielding ability kept most of the sensation of pain away from him.

He was surprised to realise he both pitied and admired her. Dangerous emotions. He could not allow himself to indulge in any of these feelings. They would be all too easy to use against him.

"I have come to ask you about the location of your brother and your mother." She looked a lot like Padmé. Almost too much like Padmé. One woman with those eyes was trouble enough. He resolved not to think about Anakin's wife; it would only go places he could not afford to. Better to think of her as a traitor, who harboured Jedi.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Stubborn defiance – should he have expected anything else? Torture could not change a spirit like that. It did her credit, but it would need to be broken before she turned.   

"Do not bother to lie to me. I know you are the child of he who was Anakin Skywalker. I know you have a twin brother, and that he is a Jedi like yourself—"

"You know nothing!"

He ignored he interruption, "I would like to know where both he and your mother are."

"I'm sure you would! Then you can kill them like you killed my father!"

_Killed her father? What in space—? Kenobi._ Supreme control over his emotions kept Vader from growling in rage. That Force-cursed, thrice damned, maniacal Jedi had not only told Anakin's children that Anakin was dead – a safe enough assertion, as he was as close death as you could be – but that Vader had killed him. If the old Jedi had still been alive, Vader would have torn the galaxy apart just to be able kill him again.

"Killed your father? Kenobi corrupted you with his lies. He was good at that. He died spouting nonsense." A flicker of something ran through the Force from the girl in front of him. Something like a small death of hope. 

"What would you know about the truth?" she spat.

"I am surprised your mother did not tell you. Once she preached truth and justice. But in the end she has proved to be as much of a liar as Kenobi." He was stepping on dangerous territory here. In all things, knowledge was power, and he knew what truly happened to Anakin Skywalker, while she did not. However, while he was well aware that the effect on her would be great, it would be unpredictable. 

"Stay away from her!" snarled the girl in front of him. Such fierce, fierce protectiveness for her loved ones. Vader knew that could be used against her.  

"She lied to you."

"No." A firm denial. Intractableness like that would be hard to break down. But when it broke, it would break into more pieces than could be completely repaired. 

"She told you that Anakin Skywalker was dead." The coming knowledge was inevitable. He knew this and he could feel the sinking fear of the Jedi in front of him.

"He is dead. You killed him." She could cling to her beliefs, though.

"I did not." Anakin Skywalker's supposed death could be argued. Technically, Obi-Wan and Padmé were right. Anakin Skywalker had been ruthlessly crushed. The weak-minded fool only existed in the very depths of Vader's soul. Gone for good, he would never be allowed to surface again. The remains of his physical form still existed, however. 

Death was such a slippery word.

"Liar."

"How could I have killed Anakin Skywalker, if I am Anakin Skywalker?"

Utter silence. Whatever she had been expecting, it was not this. She just stared at him in blank shock. 

Tears welled up in her eyes. "You're lying."

He did not bother to reply, he could just about feel her putting the pieces together in her mind. She was desperately trying to refute his claim. He was willing to bet, though, that things were making more sense to her now. He had no idea what lies she'd been told and what truths, but knew the inconsistencies would be ironing themselves out.

"You're lying," she repeated.

"No."

"Liar!" she screamed, flinging such a blast of pure Force energy at him that he staggered back a few steps. He'd been expecting something of the sort, so he had been prepared. He had not realised, however, just how strong she was.

Still, such a blow could not be maintained, and she was young. She lacked the power, control and ability of the Sith Lord. He had years of training and experience that she did not. He grabbed her using the Force and held her immobile with it, floating a few inches above the ground.

Oh, she was powerful and she struggled with that power. She fought with everything she had in her. She was still no match for Vader. There were tears running down her cheeks as she spat curses – most of them in Huttese – at him. Raging and fighting, she missed the first signs of another presence reaching out to her, but Vader didn't.

The other presence was masculine and young – Force strong. He could feel her pain and rage. It bothered him. He was, almost clumsily, trying to send her calming power, but she didn't notice.

Keeping such a powerful presence subdued was difficult, but not impossible. Vader kept her still while he traced the other Force sense. As subtly as he could, he flowed through the now open link between the two children, so he was able to locate the boy.

Finally, though, the struggling girl realised what was going on and she cut the link so sharply it must have hurt both her and her twin.

"Stay away from him!"

"I have no need to pursue him – he will come for you." Despair easily flowed through her to Vader. Surprisingly enough, the actions of the last few minutes had started a slight bond growing between them. Something in the Force seemed to be encouraging it. Interesting and possibly useful, but not something he was going to want the Emperor to know about.

He left her with the knowledge that soon her brother would be near and they would both be with him. He'd been deprived of his children for so long, but no longer. Soon he would have them both and not even Palpatine would keep him from them. They were his.

***

Once Vader was gone, Leia was able to crumple to the floor, and curl herself up as small as she could. She did not fall heavily, as she might have expected. Vader must have lowered her to the ground.

Obi-Wan was dead. She had known this, just never had any proof. Her teacher was truly gone. The grief felt surprisingly fresh. She wouldn't have thought that something she already knew would hurt this much.

Could she believe anything a Sith Lord said? He did not feel like he was lying, but he was so much stronger, so much better at manipulation than her. She believed him about Obi-Wan. If he was telling the truth about that, did it mean he was telling her the truth about being Anakin Skywalker?

It couldn't possibly be true, because nothing that horrible would be allowed to be true. Darth Vader was a monster, a Sith Lord. Anakin Skywalker was the man who Leia's mother had loved so much she could not even bring herself to talk about him to her children. Padmé Skywalker was one of the people Leia admired most in the galaxy. She was a good person. She wouldn't love someone as evil as Darth Vader, would she?   

Leia curled herself up tighter, ignoring the cold floor. She wished Luke was there to help her fight the monsters.

*****

**_Please review._**


	20. Part Three: Chapter Seventeen

**Email:** kazzy@whoever.com

**Summary:** If every decision we make determines where we end up, what if instead of doing one thing, we do another? Obi-Wan and the Jedi never knew that Padmé was pregnant with Anakin's children. _Panic had screamed at him across the galaxy._

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Star Wars. No, really, I don't. However, if someone would like to bequeath it to me, I wouldn't object. ****

**Notes: **I'll try to have the next chapter up as soon as possible, I promise. I just have a lot of work right now. In the mean time, you could check out my profile. There's some more young Luke/Leia stories (_Another Lifetime_) and a series of vignettes on canon Leia (_Senator_).

Thanks to Kathy for the beta!

**Chapter Seventeen**

*****

It is a miserable state of mind to have a few things to desire and many to fear. –Francis Bacon 

*****

Luke looked down at Tatooine uneasily. There was something unpleasant down there, he could feel it. Something he did not want to know about.

The Force still felt distant and slippery, as it had for so long. However, the sensation was waning. His vision just before he'd said farewell to his sister days before had changed a few things. Or had it happened at a point where things changed for him? Whatever it was, the Force clung to his touch more.

Through the hyperspace jump, he had tried meditating on his vision, on the change in the Force and what it meant. It was still difficult and he really did not have any more answers than he'd had earlier.

Now he had Leia to worry about. If only she'd listened to him, she wouldn't have been on board the _Tantive IV_ when it was taken. He shook his head. The message had come through from Bail Organa personally. He was to return to Yavin 4 immediately, and not attempt to rescue his sister. Luke was fairly sure that it was physically impossible for him not to go and save her. If he could find her, that was.

He'd been getting misery, distantly, through their bond ever since the _Tantive_ had been taken. She'd kept him tightly away from her though. Then all of a sudden, panic had screamed at him across the galaxy. Panic, grief and all out terror.

When he'd tried to reach her, he'd felt a secondary, darker presence. A tainted consciousness that had stretched out along the bond between him and Leia. His sister had cut the connection between them so quickly that Luke, who had been sitting in the cockpit of the _Millennium Falcon_ at the time, had cried out in pain.

He was lucky that both Han and Chewie had been in their own quarters, sleeping, otherwise he'd have a hard time explaining it. They were already suspicious of his abrupt decision to go to Tatooine – he didn't need to give them more to think about.

Han had already established himself as no friend to the Empire, but Luke wasn't prepared to risk his own life by letting the smuggler know he was a Jedi and a Rebel.

"So, kid, where to? Mos Eisley?" Han interrupted Luke's musings.

About to agree – if he were going to search for droids he may as well start there – Luke stopped as he felt a nudge from the Force. "No, there's a moisture farm, outside of Anchorhead. Go there." He told Han the co-ordinates and the older man headed in the direction of Owen and Beru Lars' home.

Even before they landed, Luke knew something was wrong. There was a stillness about the place that he had come to associate with a site after a battle. Death and destruction clung all around. Although there were no real physical signs, Luke noted a slight blackening to the outer edges of the homestead's entrances. Burned lumps of something waited outside. Luke's sense of dread deepened.

Out in the open air, a clinging smell of smoke hung about, and something foul mixed with it. Dread rapidly gave way to genuine horror. _A Jedi knows no fear…_

As he got closer, he could see the shapes morph into the frames of two people. Two very dead people. _Uncle Owen…Aunt Beru…oh, Force, what did they do to you? Why?_ His stomach heaved and his knees collapsed. He spat in the sand, but managed not to vomit. He'd seen worse scenes, lost people he knew, but this… there was something darker, more evil, about this.

He could not doubt the identity of the bodies. Tears threatened to fall, but he held them back. Grief would have to wait until he was somewhere alone and safe.

"Luke? Is everything all right? Do you know these people?" Han hovered over him, and Luke wondered if the other man was actually worried about him – he almost sounded like he was.

"My aunt and uncle." He was surprised at the calmness of his own voice the irony in his tone. Dead.

"I'm sorry, kid." A soft grumble from just behind them added Chewie's own sorrow at the events.

"Yeah," he answered not really sure how to respond. He sort of felt numb, and his brain wasn't working properly. "I suppose I should bury them."

"Chewie and I can help. Look, kid, are you all right?"

"I'm fine." He stood and dusted his clothes off. "Looks like Sand People, but I'll go into Anchorhead later, and find out if anyone knows what happened." And why no one had buried the bodies. 

Luke buried his aunt and uncle next to his grandparents. He erected two small wooden markers, unsure how to go about getting more permanent ones. It seemed so lonely, so deserted, and somehow unworthy to leave things like this. He'd have to contact his mother at some point, too. It wasn't something he wanted to tell her, but there was no one else. Maybe she would know what to do about gravestones.

The homestead itself had been completely burned out, so there was very little of use there. He had hoped the speeder would be in usable condition, but it was missing, which suggested Jawas had been through recently. Brand's body had not been found, so perhaps the Lars' hired boy had escaped. If so, and if Luke could locate him, then there might be a more complete story than the mess of rumours he'd get from the folk around here.

The only way for Luke to get into Anchorhead was on foot. Han had offered to take him there in the _Falcon_, but that might draw more attention than Luke was willing to get. He consented to being taken to just out of sight. Han said he'd wait for Luke, but he watched the desert uneasily. Chewie, too, seemed to be a little wary, as if neither particularly wanted to stay around here. Worried about Sand People? They wouldn't attack a ship like this. Concerned about upsetting Jabba maybe? The gangster wasn't one you crossed, and you either worked for him, or against him.  

It was still a couple hours walk through the hot, heavy heat. By the time Luke could see the low, dusty buildings he was exhausted, and dying for something to drink other than the warm water in his flask. 

He didn't bother with the authorities. They were useless around here. They'd only tell you what whoever was paying them wanted you to hear, and they never did any real work anyway. Entering the local gathering place – somewhere for the local youths to hang about, avoiding home and work – he was eyed suspiciously. Newcomers weren't well received here.

Someone approached him, and Luke searched his memory for a name. Fixer, that was it. He was something of a bully around here, and he'd never been particularly friendly to either Luke or Leia the few times they'd met. He scowled as he watched Luke, trying to figure out where he knew him from.

"You're the Lars' nephew, aren't you? The one that left with your sister. Used to live in Mos Eisley."

"That's me – Luke."

"Yeah, what do you want?" He scratched his head, his expression still belligerent. Behind him stood his pretty girlfriend, Camie, and one or two other teenagers Luke knew from when he'd occasionally stayed with his aunt and uncle, or Obi-Wan.

"I want to know what happened out at Uncle Owen's and Aunt Beru's. Why'd the Sand People go after them? And why were their bodies left like that? They should have been buried."

"Why do the Sand People do anything?" the other man snapped. "They're just plain nasty. Mr. and Mrs. Lars were just unlucky enough to be caught like that. And if you want to know about burial rights, you'd have to talk to Brand. It was his duty. Or yours."

The harsh words brought a wave of anger to Luke that he had trouble suppressing. His aunt and uncle were dead and this idiot called it unlucky? It was a good deal more than unlucky.  

"Brand said it was stormtroopers," said one of the others anxiously, whose name Luke couldn't recall. "And Dera Darklighter said she saw some fancy transports out that way."

"What would Dera know? And Brand's been off his face since it happened," snapped Fixer and Luke bit down on the urge to swing him one.

"Is Brand here? I want to talk to him." Luke kept his voice even, not wanting to show the anger burning inside him.

"Over there." Fixer flicked his head towards the corner. For the first time, Luke noticed the slumped figure bent over a table and a bottle of something. "For all the good it'll do you. No one's got a word of sense out of him in days."

Luke nodded his thanks, an automatic courtesy his mother had pounded into his head from childhood overruling his need to knock out a few of Fixer's teeth. The man was a pompous, bantha-brained, arrogant prick – but he'd probably been dropped on his head when he was a baby. He could hardly help it then, could he?

Sliding into a chair opposite Brand, Luke gently detached the bottle from the other man's hand. Brand was Luke's age, but he looked older. The effects of too much sun, days of drinking, little personal hygiene, and grief made him look like a haggard old man. The kind that sat around Anchorhead and lived off other people's good will.

"Brand? It's Luke – Owen and Beru's nephew – remember?"

"L-luke, ish you? Whers yer shista?" He looked at Luke blearily, and made a swipe at the bottle, but Luke carefully moved it out of his reach.

"She's not here right now, Brand. But I need you to tell me what happened to my aunt and uncle."

"They're dead. I lettem die. I jus' run 'way."

"Who killed them, Brand?" Luke asked. He wasn't too upset about the fact that Brand had run away from whoever killed his aunt and uncle. A little angry maybe, but if it had been Sand People or stormtroopers, then there was nothing Brand could have done that would have left him alive. And if it were stormtroopers, then Luke really needed to know.  

"Shtormtroopers. I s'ed an' s'ed, but no-un be'ieves me. I shaw 'em, Luke. I shaw 'em. Kille' Ow'n an' Beh-ru, an' took th' droids. I ran 'way. Now, I haf to go home an' tell my fa'her I go' no work…" He started to cry, and Luke looked away. He wanted to offer Brand something, anything, but he had nothing to give. No money, nowhere to send him, no job. He was just one more drunk whose life had been stolen. It wasn't even strange that the thief was the Empire.

Luke briefly laid a hand on Brand's arm in sympathy, and took the bottle away. He ignored everyone, including an irate Fixer – who cared what had got him in a twist this time – and left. Someone shouted after him about off-worlders never caring about any but themselves, and not knowing when to leave well enough alone. Luke felt a distant pang to defend himself, but decided to let it go. He needed to save his energy for the Rebellion.

Now the Empire had not only killed his father, but his aunt and uncle as well. So much of his family had suffered because of Palpatine.

 It was ironic, really. Through the last nineteen years or so, the Empire had never been able to catch Luke, Leia or their mother, nor had they ever been able to find anything on the Naberrie family. One part of his family, though, had never participated in anything seditious or illegal. Apart from being related – by marriage – to a Jedi, of course. Yet these were the ones who ended up summarily executed, their bodies abandoned, and left to be eaten by the desert and the sun.

Payback, when it came, would be big. Palpatine owed Luke's family and he owed them good.

***

Luke was visible a long time before he was anywhere near the _Falcon_. Han watched him a few minutes, trudging through the sand. Both of the suns had lowered in the sky. The kid better hurry – even Han knew that you didn't go out in the desert at night. If he wasn't careful, he'd end up like his aunt and uncle.

Who would have thought the kid would have family outside of that ice princess of a sister? Didn't seem the type. 

The two were definitely up with some shady dealings. More shady than Han's – if that was possible. There was a furtive look about them. Then there were these strange trips around the galaxy. Drop one here, the other over there; changes in the middle of hyperspace. If Han wasn't perfectly aware he was ripping them off royally, and if he wasn't decidedly uneasy about it, he would have dumped the kid in Mos Eisley, or some other rancor pit spaceport, and been done with it.

Still, there was something to be said for washing his hands of these two. Leia had met up with another ship that had several official looking people. Luke had a grudge against the Empire – he'd tried to hide it, but it was there. Then there was the first argument he'd overheard between the two where the words 'your orders' had clearly been mentioned.

It was beginning to sound a lot like these two teenagers that he'd found randomly stranded in a lonely spaceport were Rebels. Han groaned. _The Rebellion again? Haven't I already decided it was better left well alone?_

He asked what Chewie thought. Chewie rumbled that it was probably likely. They looked like the type. Young, angry, and idealistic. He did point out, however, that it was possible they worked for a crime lord of some sort.

Watching the figure come closer and seeing that the kid was actually stalking through the sand – despite the heat and energy Luke must be expending – Han was inclined to believe the Rebellion theory. A good reason to dump the boy and find another way to pay Jabba. He did not need the collective Imperial Army down on him as well as Jabba's goons.

By the time Luke reached the _Falcon_, the suns were nearly completely down, but even the dim light couldn't hide the look of fury on the kid's face. It looked like his tramp through the desert had only served to rile him up.

"Hey, kid, you find what you were looking for?" Han asked carefully. The look Luke shot him made him wish he'd kept him mouth shut. So far Luke had not displayed any of the spitfire temper his sister had, and Han wasn't sure he wanted to see it. One was bad enough.

"The damn Empire killed them. Haven't they taken enough from me?" he spat out. He paced around inside, apparently too angry to even be thirsty.

Han thought about the statement for a moment. It was such an odd thing to say. "Why?"

"What?" Luke paused in confusion and some of the dangerous light faded from his eyes.

"I mean, why would the Empire kill two people out in the middle of a desert on a planet that's a place that's mostly made up of scum, anyway?" Chewie muttered something about him and Han being regular visitors. Han ignored his partner. "I didn't know your aunt and uncle, kid, but they hardly seemed the criminal type."

"They weren't," Luke said. "They were good people."

"So why did they end up being killed like that? Maybe your Sand People theory has more merit."

"No, Brand clearly said that he saw the stormtroopers kill Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru and…" Luke froze, colour draining from his cheeks, "…and 'take the droids'_. _Dammit, Leia! _The droids are on Tatooine_! What were you thinking?!" Luke had been calming down a little, but now his rage came back in full force.

_He's crazy_, thought Han, taking an involuntary step back. He shared a glance with Chewie, who looked back in confusion. What was the kid talking about his sister for? And why did he mention Tatooine like that? He hadn't made the crack decision – _I need to go to Tatooine, I forgot something that needs doing_ – until well after they'd left Leia with whoever, going wherever.

"What the hell are you on about, kid? Your sister doesn't know we're here. She thinks you're on some remote moon."

"Oh Force, _Leia_," whispered Luke. The comment wasn't directed to Han. The kid turned away from Han and Chewie, and scrubbed at his face.

When he turned back Han could see that he wasn't crying, but he did look exhausted. "Han, I can't explain it. I truly can't. I just…I…" he trailed off and shook his head. "Captain Solo, I think I'm going to need your services a while longer," he finished calmly.

So, the kid wasn't sane. He was paying Han a lot of money, though. To get him to come to Tatooine, Luke had offered a higher price, which Han had accepted. Still…maybe he should…but the kid hadn't actually put Han or Chewie in any direct danger. Yet. But…

"Sure, kid, where to?" Han asked, and he could hear the unease in his own voice.

"I don't know, yet. I'll let you know shortly." Luke turned and strode off in the direction of his cabin. Han swept a sarcastic bow at his back in answer to the imperious tone in the kid's voice. Such rapid changes of mood were not healthy.

He expressed his concerns to Chewie, who was less worried. The behaviour of the kid, Chewie thought, was a little unstable, certainly, but then he had just lost two people whom he'd obviously loved. That could probably explain most of what was going on with Luke.

"Yeah, but what was that about him and his sister?"

Chewie didn't know, and admitted to feeling a little uneasy himself. He did say that there was a lot Han and Chewie didn't know, but they'd been offered a lot of money. Perhaps they'd better keep their mouths shut – they didn't want to lose the rest of their fee. 

"I guess so, and we can always take him if it comes to a fight." Strangely though, Han felt a little troubled by that statement. It was true he and Chewie out numbered the kid and had the experience of many fights, but there was something about Luke…

***

Luke sat on the narrow cot in the cabin, and tried to immerse himself in the Force. He could use some meditation, right now. He was in desperate need of the Force's guidance.

As always, it eluded him. Wearily he flopped back on the bed, so he was half lying on his side and his legs hung over the edge. Briefly tears stung his eyes, but he pushed them back. They wouldn't help him locate Leia or connect with the Force.

_Oh, Leia, where are you? Aboard a Star Destroyer somewhere? On your way to Coruscant? Scheduled for execution?_ He stretched out, but Leia was using great amounts of energy to keep him back. He could feel her, and knew she was alive and somewhere very far away, but that was all he knew

_Where are you?_ He sent to her, but she didn't reply. As tightly as she was keeping him out, he doubted she even heard him.

***

"My master."

"Lord Vader, what news have you to give me?"

"I have discovered the identity of the Jedi."

"Yes?" An edge touched Palpatine's voice and Vader knew his master could sense his reluctance to tell him what he knew. This much he would have to impart though. There was no escaping it. If he didn't, Palpatine would find out anyway, and that would be worse in the long run for him. 

_And for Leia and my son_.

He pushed the thoughts away. He could not afford concern for their wellbeing, only for how they could serve him. And the Emperor, of course.

"She is the daughter of Anakin Skywalker." The words were painful to say.

"And the boy?"

"Her brother."

"Really? Well, my friend, this is most interesting. It would appear that Senator Amidala lied to you."

"Yes, my master." Anger filled him at the thought of Amidala. She had betrayed him. She had stolen his children from him.

Palpatine was continuing, "Are they twins, Lord Vader? Jedi twins?"

"Yes, my master."

"Ah, a most interesting development indeed."

"May I request permission to search for the son of Anakin Skywalker and Senator Amidala, my master?"

The perception of Palpatine changed abruptly. Until now he had been amused, surprised and a little guarded. Now his entire focus shifted to Vader with an intensity the masked man had come to fear. 

"Bring the girl to me," said Palpatine, a little sharply.

"When I have completed the task?"

"I will consider your request."  

"Yes, my master." The transmission was cut and Vader stood, his mind far away.

Vader itched to get out and look for the boy – his son. The girl was so powerful; together they would be unstoppable. With Vader's guidance, not even Palpatine was strong enough…

*****

 **A/N: **Please leave a review. Thank you :-)


	21. Part Three: Chapter Eighteen

**Email:** kazzy@whoever.com

**Summary:** If every decision we make determines where we end up, what if instead of doing one thing, we do another? Obi-Wan and the Jedi never knew that Padmé was pregnant with Anakin's children. 

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Star Wars. No, really, I don't. However, if someone would like to bequeath it to me, I wouldn't object. _"We're Jedi." He said it like it was the simplest thing in the galaxy. As if it explained everything.****_

**Notes: **Sorry it took so long. I had a hard time writing this one. I got four pages into it and realised I was going nowhere so I had to start again, and that took time. Coupled with work and uni. Well anyway, sorry. Hopefully chapter nineteen should be here much sooner.

Thanks to Kathy and Jedi Keladry for the beta. It's much appreciated.

**Chapter Eighteen**

*****

No government power can be abused for long. Mankind will not bear it. There is a remedy in human nature against tyranny, that will keep us safe under every form of government. –Samuel Johnson

*****

"We will proceed with the destruction of Alderaan as planned. Then you will enjoy watching with us as we obliterate the Dantooine centre of this stupid and futile rebellion." Tarkin watched with pride as the activation for the Death Star's first test was begun.

The shattering of Alderaan sent shock waves through the galaxy.

It was felt by the few remaining Force-sensitives who would later describe it as being terror and then silence, as though millions of lives had been snuffed out – which of course, they had.

However, they were not the only ones. Across the galaxy, the news of the disappearance of such an important planet, its utter destruction, spread like wildfire. Beings on every advanced world heard hysterical reports from those who had entered the system to find Alderaan gone and a space station of immense proportions hanging nearby.

There was no public footage of the event, but many people over the next few weeks, would provide images of the tiny pieces of planet floating uselessly in space, where Alderaan used to be.

***

Senator Wellam stared in shock, his face deathly pale as he watched everything he loved be destroyed. His home, his wife, and his five-year old daughter; everything that was familiar and good to him, everything that had made the Rebellion worthwhile, was gone. Grief stole his voice, his strength, and eventually he would go without resistance to his execution, all desire for life stripped from him.

***

Leia screamed mentally as she watched. She called desperately for her mother. Padmé Skywalker had made her home on Alderaan. True, she often left to complete some small mission for the Rebellion, but she'd contacted them just before they'd left on their ast mission together. She'd sent an encrypted message through to say she was back there and she wanted to see them.

Bail Organa, a man whom Leia had come to respect hugely, had been there. Bail had only ever wanted peace in the galaxy. He had founded the Rebellion, an act of treason, to bring about that peace. His children, two bright young people who could have had infinite chance to do good, were gone.

Millions of good people. Millions of innocents. All gone.

And Leia had felt the death of each one, like a blade stabbing through her heart a million times over.

***

Luke, eating dinner on board the _Millennium Falcon_, felt an agonising, overwhelming pain, and was flooded with a handful of images. People…millions…death…Leia…

His vision of days ago flashed through his mind. A flash of light and a planet exploding into billions of pieces.

Alderaan… 

An unearthly wailing filled his head and he cried out, covering his ears with his hands.

The silence, arriving as suddenly as it did, was deafening and Luke wondered if he'd lost his hearing.

Gathering every bit of strength he had, he reached for his sister, but couldn't touch her across the distance and through her barriers.

A dark presence paid him notice and he was forced to withdraw quickly.

The next morning Han and Chewie found him still frantically searching the holonet for news. For any word on survivors; for any word on anything. 

***

On Dagobah, a small, green creature, weathered and aged, stared up into the stars, until an observer might be tempted to think he could see all the way to Alderaan's gravesite.

Even through Dagobah's protective Force-aura he felt the shock that such a travesty created. 

Utter destruction of this kind would leave a scar on the Force for many, many generations.

The knowledge saddened him.

***

Something, largely unexpected, would come from this though. It could be counted as pittance, unworthy of what had been paid for it, but that wouldn't change that one positive aspect that came from this.

Darth Vader had wondered about it, but not mentioned it to his master or Tarkin, whom he knew had not considered it. Such an effect would not occur to them. Nor did he wish to give Tarkin the advantage such knowledge would give him.

Certainly, many people did believe the Empire's propaganda on the events, which was what the Emperor intended. Furthermore, it put fear in those who had begun to lose respect, and installed further loyalty in those who believed in Palpatine's Order.

At the same time, though, it made others question. 

They questioned why such a thing would happen. What possible justification anyone could have for the destruction of Alderaan? Just why had the Empire created a powerful mining operation? Surely the amount of power required to destroy a planet the size of Alderaan was overkill.

Why?

And Vader had to reflect that his daughter, Leia Skywalker – with her mother's eyes and her mother's words – might have had a point when she said, "Force will not keep the Empire together. Force has never kept anything together for very long. The more you tighten your grip, the more systems will slip through your fingers."

Palpatine would win in the end, Vader knew this despite Leia's speech, but what would it cost the Empire?

***

Han wasn't quite sure how he had ended up going to Coruscant. He wasn't quite sure _why_ either.

There was something about this kid, though, and his fiery sister. They were dangerous, and not in the sense that Han was used to. Smugglers and pirates he could handle, no sweat. Local police forces were laughable. Jabba was a concern. Imperial stormtroopers were a little more tricky. Rebels were best left alone, but largely uninterested in him.

Put all of them together and Han was getting the feeling that they might be easier to deal with than Luke and Leia. Part of that, he knew, was that by and large the motives all the other groups were easy to grasp. As far as he could tell, neither of the strange siblings he'd picked up on some out of the way spaceport had any clear, set motives.

"So, explain to me, again why I'm taking _my _ship to Coruscant, after going to Tatooine when all you wanted was to go to some out-of-the-way moon."

"Because Leia's in trouble." Luke's expression was inscrutable.

_Like that's got to be unusual._ He didn't say it out loud. Outwardly, Luke appeared unruffled, but there had been something in his eyes for the last few days. Something that had appeared after the abrupt change to go to Tatooine. Whatever it was had only intensified since the destruction of Alderaan – _how do you destroy a whole planet anyway?_ They'd been eating when that had happened, Luke had cried out and choked on his food. Han had managed to work out the exact timing later. It fit perfectly. Anything else would have been considered a coincidence, but that was becoming a flimsy excuse when it came to Luke.

"How do you know she's in trouble? You haven't had any contact with her!" He hadn't either.Han had checked the logs: no outgoing or incoming messages during this whole fiasco.

"It's a twin thing." Luke gave an air of mysticism.

"Like hell it is!" spat Han, limited patience running out.

"You don't believe me." Not a question. Where did this _boy_ get off acting so superior?

"Kid, I wouldn't believe you if you were Palpatine himself."

"If I were Palpatine, I wouldn't believe me, either."

Han resisted the urge to throttle Luke. "Just tell me the truth, kid, or I drop this ship out of hyperspace right now and dump you on the nearest life-supporting rock."

"We're Jedi." He said it like it was the simplest thing in the galaxy. As if it explained everything.

When in actual fact, it explained nothing.

There was a low growl of disbelief from Chewie who had appeared sometime during this latest revelation.

Jedi, Jedi – what did Han know about the Jedi? Uhh, a religion that had been disbanded by the Emperor for treason, and other unexplained crimes. They'd supposedly possessed weird and frightening powers, which had been used to control the minds of the general populace. Of course, some Rebel propaganda said the same about the Emperor.

Han believed not a single word about either. "So? What's some hokey religion got to do with you wanting to go to Coruscant? I woulda thought that Imperial Centre would be the last place you'd want to go."

"I have to save Leia."

"And you can do this because you're a Jedi?"

"No, because she's all I have left." Something sounded broken in his voice, and Han was reminded sharply that the kid had lost his aunt and uncle on Tatooine. Not that he cared, but he did know what losing someone you loved could do to you.

"You're out of your mind, kid."

Luke shrugged, apparently losing interest in Han's thoughts. "I'm paying you to do it."

_Not enough_. He kept a lid on that particular statement. It was enough, despite Luke's (and Leia's, for that matter) attitude. Besides all he wanted was to be dropped on Coruscant. Han only had to fly in, like any other transport, dump the 'cargo', and he could fly out again. Yeah. _Easy_.

***

Vader strode into her cell, but Leia didn't bother to get up. She just lay there and glared at him. Possibly it would have been better to meet him on her feet, ready to tackle anything he threw her way.

But defiance was what he expected, and Leia didn't want to do anything that he expected, even if it put him at an advantage. Besides, her whole body ached and her soul felt as if he'd torn it in two. She wasn't sure she was strong enough to stand up for another confrontation with him. Not after the way the others had gone.

"Rise," he commanded.

"No."

She was working on not associating him with Anakin Skywalker. She was trying very hard to come up with as many reasons as possible to not believe that this monster was her father. _Mom would never have loved anyone evil. She or Obi-Wan would have told us. Father is dead; everyone has said so. He died…_

_…and became Darth Vader._

_No._

"Bring her," he snapped. Two stormtroopers moved forward and grasped her arms roughly enough to bruise, dragging her to her feet. Then they set her down and her legs held. Childishly, she considered letting her knees collapse beneath her.

There had been many faceless stromtroopers at the 'event' over Alderaan. However, when he'd told her he was her father – a blatant lie, meant to make her turn to the dark side – there hadn't been any stormtroopers. _Didn't want the dirty secret to get around?_ she thought snidely. _Haven't you heard? Darth Vader has a child. Her mother was probably a whore – who would have thought?_ Buther stomach turned at the thought anyone would think that about her mother, so maybe Vader was right to keep them away. 

_Mommy?_

Of course, it was all a trick meant to put her off-centre and send her to the dark side. There probably hadn't been any stormtroopers because that sort of thing would be beyond their clearance.  ****

But then Alderaan? She'd felt the deaths. There was no way that had been a trick. Her only comfort was that Vader had not been completely unaffected over that. She couldn't tell what exactly he'd been feeling, but it hadn't been approval or satisfaction. The closest she'd been able to come to identifying it was tiredness, but that wasn't it, not really.

He'd questioned her again, briefly, after the execution of Senator Wellam. The topic of conversation had been the location of her mother and brother. She had wanted to tell him that as far as she knew her mother had been on Alderaan, had wanted to spit it in his face. 

_Mom? Are you there?_

Fear had stopped her. She found that she couldn't anticipate his reaction and the possibilities terrified her.****

Walking now, she found, was pretty much the only option available to her. The two stormtroopers holding her arms pushed her forwards, and she had the option of stumbling along, adding to her bruises and aches, or she could walk. So she did, placing one foot in front of the other like rote.

It hurt though. Each tentative step sent pain shooting up her legs, along her spine, spreading through her body and jarring her aching head. Every movement forward, in the wake of the Dark Lord – who wasn't her father – stabbed spears of agony through her soul. Once in awhile, her stride faltered slightly, her body instinctively trying to ease the hurt. When this happened, the stormtroopers gave her a rough jerk to keep her moving.

The jolts caused her to bite her lip to keep from crying out. She would not let anyone see her weakness. However, after one such shock, she either could not keep the sound from escaping or Vader heard it through the Force, because he turned around and snapped at the stormtrooper she wasn't a sack of tubers. Both quailed beneath the Dark Lord's words and were a little more careful after that.

She wondered where they were going. Her execution? It seemed unlikely, considering what he had told her, but not impossible. Another cell? Maybe. To see the Emperor? No, or at least she hoped not. She would like to be in a better state to meet him. _I need you, Mom._

When they stopped, an exhausted Leia raised her gaze to look around her. A docking bay. Some high-ranking, official guards were rushing around a black shuttle. She stared at the solid blackness of the ship and imagined she could see it absorbing light, sucking it in and destroying it.

Vader, she became aware was talking to a vaguely apprehensive aide. The solid looking man was dwarfed by the massive Sith and he seemed to almost lean back as he told Vader that his shuttle was ready, and the droids he'd requested were on board.

That struck Leia's interest and she almost felt more awake. _Droids?_ What droids? The ones she'd sent to Tatooine? _Oh no._

Vader gave the aide a curt dismissal and Leia watched in half-hearted amusement as the man scurried off, projecting relief. To her surprise, Vader also gave the same command to her stormtrooper guard, and they melted back slightly.

"Come," he said to her.

"No."

He didn't bother to argue. She felt a suffocating presence in her mind that urged her forward. She fought it, but made no difference. She was weakened by the last few days, and he had no such handicap. She stepped towards the shuttle against her will.

_You can walk by yourself, daughter, or you can be forced. It matters little, but you are going._ There was no room for doubt at his words. Right now he had complete control of the situation, and he let her know it.

She swore at him in Huttese.

He forced her to take another two steps.

She snarled at him mentally, but capitulated. His mind lock lifted and she could control her legs again.

Following him, she walked up the ramp into the ship. Inside, it was the picture of clinical neatness. A sad, lonely part of her wished for the slightly battered interior of the _World Bouncer_, or even the patched _Millennium Falcon_. She wanted her brother and mother. She wanted to be on Naboo being overfed by her grandmother. Tatooine and Uncle Owen's temper seemed far more welcoming than this.

"Where are we going?" she asked him tiredly.

"The Emperor wishes to meet you."

_I'll bet he does._

"So, Coruscant?"

She'd always wondered what that would be like. This was not, however, the way she would have chosen to visit.

"I did not say that." Vader intoned disinterestedly.

They were going there, though, Leia was willing to bet. The old corpse almost never stirred himself from his palace. This led to occasional hysterical outbursts that the Emperor was dead. Unfortunately for the galaxy, he always appeared again to reassure the masses.

Vader led her to a small cabin and locked her in, assuring her that she would not be able to break the lock, using the Force, or any other ability she might have picked up. Apparently he wasn't thick enough to believe she'd never learned to pick locks. She was willing to bet though, that he'd never think that her mother had been the one to teach her.

A sink in the corner had a cup sitting beside it, and real water came out of the tap. A second door led to a tiny refresher unit, which actually contained a sonic shower. The desperate urge to be clean was tempered by a deep-rooted suspicion, and she decided to not use the shower just yet.

Back in the main room, she collapsed on the bed, which was a hundred times more comfortable than the slab in her cell on the Death Star. __

_I need you, Mom._

Within seconds she was asleep. She would be horrified to think she could sleep right now, but her exhausted, shock-weary body needed rest. It grabbed the opportunity with enthusiasm, thrusting her into a deep sleep that was void even of nightmares. 

*****

Chapter nineteen is finished; it just needs brushing up, and then I'll send it to my betas, I promise.

****

**_Please, please, please review. _**


	22. Part Three: Chapter Nineteen

> **Email:** kazzywhoever.com
> 
> **Summary:** If every decision we make determines where we end up, what if instead of doing one thing, we do another? Obi-Wan and the Jedi never knew that Padmé was pregnant with Anakin's children. _Hearing stories, and seeing holos was nothing when compared to seeing the real thing._
> 
> **Disclaimer: **I don't own Star Wars. No, really, I don't. However, if someone would like to bequeath it to me, I wouldn't object. ****
> 
> **Notes: **All computers are evil. Mine hasn't been working, and tonight it is. What have I done? Nothing. What has anyone else done? Nothing. It's a grand plot to make me mad, I tell you! Just pray that it keeps working for me to upload this.
> 
> Thank you for all your wonderful reviews. I really appreciate them :-)
> 
> Thank you to my wonderful betas, Kathy and Jedi Keladry!!
> 
> **
> 
> * * *
> 
> * * *
> 
> **
> 
> **Chapter Nineteen**
> 
> _If I had my hand full of truth, I would take good care how I opened it. – Bernard Le Borier Fontendle_
> 
> When Vader entered Leia's cell, he found her dead to the galaxy, her utter exhaustion painted in every plane of her face. She was curled in a ball, and took up very little of the space provided to her on the small cot. He'd checked on her before entering hyperspace and she'd been asleep then. She obviously hadn't stirred since.
> 
> She looked very young, and very much open to attack.
> 
> Pushing the thoughts away, he woke her using a Force-nudge. She reacted instinctively, reaching out, not for him, but someone else. Apparently she'd been awakened like this enough times to expect someone to be waiting.
> 
> Her brother? An unknown Jedi lover?
> 
> When whoever it was didn't respond and she encountered Vader instead, her sleepy mind pulled back sharply and she jerked into wakefulness.
> 
> "What do you want?" she snarled.
> 
> "We will be landing on Imperial Centre within the next two hours. Be clean and dressed in that," he indicated a small bundle he'd placed on the chair of the room, "before we do so. I will bring you food, you are to eat it."
> 
> She gave him a withering look, and told him where he could go.
> 
> "Tell me, Jedi, was it your mother or Obi-Wan who taught you such language?"
> 
> "Don't speak of them, ever!"
> 
> He stepped closer to her bed. She had not risen from it and he wondered if doing so might be painful for her. Dismissing the thought as pointless – she would need to be stronger than that, if it were so – he moved as close as he could, until he was looking right down on her.
> 
> "I will speak of whomever I choose, Daughter. It is not your place to forbid me." He was happy to see his words brought real fear into her bravado. For long moments he stood over her, looking down at her. While she met his stare with one of her own, it wasn't out of defiance, but the guarded, wary look of prey who wondered if he would attack her or not.
> 
> Feeling his point had been made, he turned to walk out of the room. When he reached the door, she recovered some of her courage.
> 
> "I'm not your daughter!" The plea in that statement rang clear, and it let him know that he had won some ground. She believed him enough that she was desperately seeking anything to disprove him.
> 
> "Your belief that I am not so, is hardly grounded in fact. I suggest, Daughter, you check your memories. I am sure they will confirm what I have told you."
> 
> The door hissed shut behind him and he activated the locking system.
> 
> * * *
> 
> As soon as Vader was gone, Leia swore. She used as many words as she could think of and made them as nasty as she could get. She aimed them mostly at Vader for his evilness, for his _lies_. But there were plenty in there for Palpatine, as well. One or two were flung at her mother. However, Leia saved a special batch for herself. For her weakness in front of the Sith Lord.
> 
> Her behaviour was becoming childish in his presence. Like some kid who was being punished for some minor misdemeanour, she was kicking up a fuss, throwing down her toys. This was not what was expected of her as a Jedi and she could just about feel the weight of disapproval from her mother and Obi-Wan
> 
> _I don't care! They lied to me!_
> 
> _Did they?_
> 
> _No, of course not. What am I saying?_
> 
> _Who am I?_
> 
> _My name is Leia Skywalker, sister of Luke, and daughter of Padmé and Anakin Skywalker,_ she reminded herself. It was pointless to fall into the trap Vader's lies were trying to create. He was a Sith Lord: lies for him were nothing more than speech. He wanted to separate her from those she loved, to loosen her base so she would doubt them and have no security, thus leaving her wide open to the dark side. That's what Sith Lords did – they turned others to the dark side to do their bidding.
> 
> No. Vader killed thousands of Jedi, including your father. Neither he nor Palpatine were interested in turning them. Why, therefore, has he not killed you? You're just another Jedi among many.
> 
> She didn't know the answer and she didn't want to know, not really. If she had to know then it might be her undoing.
> 
> Helplessness was making her defensive and stupid. She should be looking for ways to escape. Vader might have his own agendas when it came to her, and guessing what they were was keeping her off-guard, but Palpatine was a whole other holobook.
> 
> Once in the Emperor's grasp, she would have two options: death or the dark side. He would be relentless in forcing her to choose.
> 
> Right now, though, she hurt. Earlier she should have used the opportunity to drop into a healing trance, but had wanted to stay wary. Only her body had had other ideas. Now her injuries from her 'interrogations', compounded by sleeping in such a tight position, made her achy and stiff. She hadn't stood when Vader came in this time out of rebelliousness, but simply because she doubted her legs were stable enough.
> 
> On top of everything else, her mind stung from the battles of wills and the Force she'd had with Vader. Granted, her experience with Force-sensitives prior to this had been limited to herself, Obi-Wan and Luke, but Vader was so powerful. Obi-Wan had mentioned to Luke and herself both that they were powerful Jedi, and the implication was that there weren't a whole lot of Jedi who were more powerful.
> 
> Vader's strength had been beyond anything she could imagine. She could still feel the traces of the clamp he'd placed around her mind, not once, but twice. It had appeared effortless.
> 
> How could she hope to escape such a power? And this was an underling to the Emperor.
> 
> Deciding that this was getting her nowhere, she rose slowly. Her knees buckled a little as she stood and, her heart racing, she grabbed the edge of her bunk to support herself. White-hot needles shot through her wrist and up her arm. She bit her lip to keep from crying out.
> 
> Running a mild self-diagnosis through herself with the Force, she was relieved to find no broken bones. There were only traces of the interrogation drugs and sedatives, a selection of cuts and bruises, stiffness in her muscles and her left wrist was sprained.
> 
> A sonic shower did help her feel better, though she spared a momentary wish for real water. If her own clothes hadn't been tattered and stained from her activities over the last few days, stinking of sweat and blood, she would have used them. But the thought of putting them back on made her stomach turn.
> 
> Vader had provided her with a simple tunic and pants, both black. They fitted perfectly, made of some sort of durable and, she noted with consternation, comfortable material.
> 
> Wrapped up with them was a small medkit. There wasn't much in it, no painkillers of any sort, just some salve (no bacta patches) and bandages to strap her wrist. She tended to her injuries as best as possible. The thought of allowing Vader to give her all this was unsettling, but she knew she'd be better off, and more alert this way.
> 
> Finally, as clean and as healed as she was going to get in the foreseeable future, she filled in time with a few stretches. Space and pain limited her, but she could loosen a few of her muscles, make herself more limber and prevent further injury later.
> 
> When Vader entered her room minutes later, incongruously carrying a tray, she was on her feet and met him face to face, chin up, presenting a calm façade. Her mother would have been proud.
> 
> The mask, and his incredible mental shields robbed Leia for a possibility of reading his feelings. He stood there for a moment or two. Why, she did not know. To intimidate her maybe. She didn't let him and stared directly into what she supposed were his eyes behind his mask. Absurdly, she was struck by amusement at the thought of a Sith Lord engaging in a staring contest. She suppressed it.
> 
> Finally, Vader spoke, "Good, you are presentable. The Emperor will wish to see you upon arriving on Imperial Centre."
> 
> "What if I don't wish to see him?" she asked haughtily.
> 
> "That is not a choice presented to you."
> 
> "So, you would take your supposed child and give her to a monster who wants to destroy her mind, if not her soul?" The thought left a slightly bitter taste in her mouth.
> 
> "If that is as my master desires."
> 
> "That is sick!"
> 
> "It is the way of things."
> 
> _Only in your twisted reality._ She didn't say it out loud, but she knew he caught it anyway. Surprisingly enough, he did not react.
> 
> He placed the tray on the chair. "Eat. You will need your strength."
> 
> He turned and left, Leia staring after him.
> 
> The food was plain Tatooine fare with a small amount of wine presented. She ignored that, and drank water from the sink instead, seeing that as the lesser of two evils. The food was comforting. She had hated living on Tatooine; its arid blandness, the filth, the sheer depravity that existed there had all been so unpleasant. However, it had been her home for six years of her life – that was far longer than anywhere else. She'd been reasonably happy, too, surprising as it seemed. It had been safe and there had been people who loved her and whom she loved in return. Despite everything, it represented security.
> 
> She cursed Vader for indirectly associating himself with that.
> 
> * * *
> 
> "So, Kid, where to?" Han said, giving Luke a look of apparent innocent expectedness.
> 
> Luke barely noticed. He was looking out at Coruscant, literally slack-jawed. In all his life, first with his mother, then with the Rebellion, Luke had never been to Coruscant.
> 
> Hearing stories, and seeing holos was nothing when compared to seeing the real thing. The whole planet was covered with buildings and looked like nothing Luke had ever seen before. There was so much traffic coming and going that he didn't even want to consider what it was like preventing major collisions between outgoing and incoming space ships.
> 
> "Kid! Hey! Luke! I think you spent too much time in the sun on Tatooine, Kid, it's fried whatever remained of your brains," Han said. "Not that there coulda been much there in the first place," he added in an after thought, under his breath.
> 
> Luke finally realised he was being spoken to. "Huh? Sorry. I didn't catch what you were saying," said Luke.
> 
> "I bet," muttered Han. "I was asking 'where to?' Very soon they're going to be hailing us and if we don't have an answer, you're not going to like their response. And dammit, Kid, if my ship gets impounded for this, I'm turning you in and taking whatever reward comes on your head."
> 
> "What about the one on yours, Han?" snapped Luke. "I'm sure there's someone around here, who would be glad to know where Han Solo is, or be glad to tell Jabba, anyway." He smirked as his barb hit home.
> 
> "How'd you… watch it Kid, I meant it when I said I would turn you in—"
> 
> "Sure you did, Han." Luke made his tone deliberately soothing as if he were humouring the older man. Han's eyes narrowed, but he obviously decided against pursuing it, right now. They both knew neither of them could afford to turn the other in. It would be too easy to go down themselves.
> 
> Chewie rumbled at them that they were to shut up, or else their continued comm. silence would alert Planetary Security that something was up. And indeed, moments later the comm. blared, looking for identification and destination. At the last Han rose an eye brow at Luke, who panicked, having no idea about anything on Coruscant. Briefly he swore mentally at his own lack of preparation – this Force problem of his was starting to affect him in more ways that one.
> 
> "Uh, as close to the palace as you can get."
> 
> Han rolled his eyes but passed on the information along with his fake identity, which Luke assumed would be clever enough to pass security.
> 
> They were given a verbal wave through by a distracted sounding clerk, and were able to land with surprisingly little fuss.
> 
> Close as they were to the Imperial Palace, Luke would have thought he'd be able to sense the dark side that the Emperor undoubtedly exuded, but there was nothing. Maybe it was a side effect of his own disrupted connection, but he still got nothing. He would have thought though that the impact someone as evil as Palpatine would leave would touch even Luke. It was disconcerting to find that it did not.
> 
> "Well, Kid, there you are. Off you go."
> 
> "You're not coming with me?"
> 
> "What, you think that just because you have a death-wish, all of us do? I happen to like my skin the way it is."
> 
> Luke supposed he shouldn't be surprised. Han had been reluctant to even take him this far. The man and his partner were obviously smugglers; they wouldn't want to be anywhere too close to any type of security for long. Han hadn't even bothered to deny, and had almost confirmed, Luke's earlier assertions that there would be someone with a debt looking for him.
> 
> Still, he felt a slight creeping fear slink through him. Perhaps it was just normal apprehension and a very real – sensible, even – caution about being left alone on Coruscant. However, Luke was not entirely convinced that it wasn't the Force telling him that letting Han and Chewie leave was a bad idea. Although, how the Force supposed Luke was going to stop the two was beyond him.
> 
> The young Jedi considered using a Force suggestion on both Han and Chewie, but discarded it. Aside from the moral dubiousness of continuous mind-control, the length of time he would need to keep them under was not something Luke really thought he could manage. Besides, both were relatively strong-minded and probably wouldn't respond well. Short of turning to the Dark Side, it was not really an option.
> 
> Threats wouldn't work. All that would accomplish would be to have both human and Wookiee turn on him, and he didn't want to deal with their anger on top of everything.
> 
> All he could think of was bribery. "Look," he said uncertainly, "help me here and you'll be rewarded." He hoped this would be so, although he had a feeling the Rebellion leaders would be nothing short of horrified when he handed them Han's bill for helping Luke and Leia. Yet Luke knew he had to do this. This was the only way to rescue Leia.
> 
> "With what, Kid? You aren't exactly rolling in it."
> 
> "The Rebellion will pay you," he practically whispered. It had been inferred before, but saying it out loud, on the same planet where Palpatine was, made Luke shiver with fear. What if he were overheard? What if Palpatine found out? _Fear is of the dark side._
> 
> "Why? Because you're a Jedi? I don't think so." Han's harsh words broke through Luke's fear, although it wasn't very reassuring to hear him say 'Jedi' out loud.
> 
> Chewie rumbled something to that effect.
> 
> Han snorted. "Nobody's going to hear us. Now, quiet, I wanna hear what Jedi Luke thinks the Rebellion's willing to pay for him and his sister. Especially since the Empire's probably offering more than the Rebels can pay."
> 
> "Leia was on a top-secret mission. I don't what it was for exactly, but it was highly important information gathering. The rest of her crew were captured and once they were tortured for information, you can bet they were killed. Leia's still alive, so she's the only one who can give the Rebellion the information that they need. For that alone they'll be willing to pay you—" Luke frantically tried to come up with a suitable amount— "more wealth than you can imagine!"
> 
> "I don't know," was Han's answer. "I can imagine a lot. Besides, you can't prove your sister's alive."
> 
> Chewie growled.
> 
> "Oh, all right," Han agreed. "But this better be worth it, Kid, or I might really turn you over to the Imperials."
> 
> "It will be," Luke promised, not really sure, but making certain he sounded like he was.
> 
> * * *
> 
> Han and Luke moved through the streets calmly, doing their best not to draw attention to themselves, and Luke knew they were probably successful on that account. Protesting, Chewie had remained on the _Falcon_, not only because a Wookiee would be instantly noticeable once they were inside the Palace, and hard to disguise, but so when they needed to get away the ship would be ready to fly.
> 
> Han was further proving his usefulness. Luke had spent his life avoiding Imperial notice and knew he was very good at blending into a crowd. Obviously, Han had had similar practise, and the young Jedi raised his opinion of the other man, or at least of his skills. As a contributor to society, he might not be worth much, but he was probably an excellent smuggler.
> 
> Imperial Palace was immense and during the daylight hours sections of it were opened to tourists who came by to see this marvel of architecture and technology, as well as the Emperor's home. As such, entering the building was not at all a problem. Unfortunately from here on in, it would be far more difficult.
> 
> In order to rescue Leia, they would have to get to her before she was shut away in a prison, under tight guard. Or worse, the presence of Palpatine. The only way that Luke was going to get anywhere near the Emperor was if Palpatine were expecting him, and there was no way that Luke was going to meet the Sith on his terms, on his territory.
> 
> So, Luke theorised, the best way to get to his sister was to meet her as she was brought in. Hopefully, the location would be more open and easier to move around and improvise in.
> 
> He was leaving a lot riding on hope, but he didn't feel he had much choice. Closing his eyes, he stretched out his senses and found it relatively easy to do so. While it wasn't completely Force-soaked here, the resonance was stronger than many places. Strangely, nothing felt dark, and while Luke worried that he was missing something, he couldn't help feeling relief at the boost it gave him.
> 
> "Hello, Luke," said a warm, familiar voice, and Luke's eyes snapped open. He was in a deserted corridor he didn't remember entering, and he wondered where was.
> 
> Flicking his gaze around, it came to rest on a shimmering figure. "Obi-Wan?" he asked in confusion. Obi-Wan was dead, that had pretty much been confirmed when they had never seen him after their flight from Tatooine two years previously.
> 
> "Yes," answered the spectre before him. "Now listen carefully, I cannot stay long. My presence will alert Palpatine to movements in the Force, which he will trace back to you." Obi-Wan's tone was brisk and to the point, much like he had sounded in hundreds of lessons.
> 
> "But…"
> 
> "You should not be here, Luke. I was always afraid of what would happen should Palpatine get his hands on one of you, but with both you and your sister under his control, he will be unstoppable. Leave now."
> 
> "I can't leave Leia to that monster! I have to save her."
> 
> "Do so and everything is lost!" Obi-Wan's tone was urgent, but still as smooth as ever.
> 
> "Don't waste your training, Luke. You're struggling now, but you can change that. Go to Dagobah. There is an old Jedi there, Master Yoda, he can help you regain your balance. This is important, Luke. Your father was too impatient to heed my warnings, and he was lost. Please don't let the same happen to you. The galaxy can't afford it."
> 
> "What about Leia?" Luke whispered. He was trying to understand what Obi-Wan was telling him – another Jedi Master was still alive and Luke could find and train with him? But he couldn't ignore that his sister needed him.
> 
> "Luke, I'm sorry, I can't stay any longer. Already Palpatine is wondering." And he faded from view leaving Luke with a sensation of surrealism.
> 
> "Kid!" Han came out of nowhere. "Where you been? I turned around and you were gone." He sounded like a fussy mother, but Luke knew better than to tell him that.
> 
> "I would have thought you'd appreciate that. You'd be able to leave me behind then," Luke said sharply.
> 
> "Kid, I leave you behind, I don't get paid."
> 
> Luke rolled his eyes. "Right then, we need to find where Vader's landing bay is, so we can grab Leia as she arrives."
> 
> "You're out of your mind. Do you know how many stormtroopers will be there, if Vader's bringing a Rebel here?"
> 
> Luke wondered if Han would ever give up calling him crazy.
> 
> "Surprisingly few," Luke said, and he could hear a ring of truth in his own words. A Jedi was not something Vader and Palpatine would be willing to advertise, unless of course they intended to execute her publicly, and if they hadn't advertised the fact already it meant they weren't planning to.
> 
> "Look, Kid, I'm not so sure about this…"
> 
> "Han, you haven't been sure about this from the beginning, yet you're still here. I'm going to rescue my sister. You can stay or go, but if you go you don't get any more credits out of me than you have in your hands. However, if you have a better idea, and are willing to stay, I'm all ears."
> 
> "Fine, whatever. You owe me and Chewie for this, Kid," Han said sourly.
> 
> Something hit Luke's senses. He reached out and felt a very familiar presence. He couldn't touch her, couldn't find anything out about her, but knew by sheer proximity that Leia was in system. Now they only had until Vader landed before their window of opportunity closed completely.
> 
> _Leia, hang on. I'm coming._ There was no response; she was keeping him out too carefully to be able to hear him. He knew it hadn't been the smartest thing he could do. Either Palpatine or Vader, if they were particularly alert at that moment, might have been able to hear him, but he needed to do something.
> 
> He turned from Han and strode off in the opposite direction from the tourist-filled halls. To get to Leia, he needed to go up. Not bothering to check behind him, he headed for the nearest turbolift. Much of what he was about to do would go against how he'd been taught a Jedi should behave, but he had to get to Leia.
> 
> * * *
> 
> _Please review._
> 
> **A/N: **The fourth companion, titled _Uncle_ is up. It's an Owen Lars fic.
> 
> The companions are written to go along side this fic. I loved writing young Luke and Leia so much I couldn't stop, so I wrote some more. They are set either between the prologue and part one, or part one and part two. They are posted under the name _Another Lifetime_
> 
> They are:
> 
> _Kimi's Story_ – the twins from the point of view of a young girl who meets them briefly growing up.  
_War of the Spoons_ – what do you do when you're bored and want to annoy your sister?  
_Meetings_ – Ever wondered if there was some people you were just destined to meet? Slight L/M.  
_Uncle –_ Owen Lars meets his step-brother's children for the first time.
> 
> **_I always appreciate your reviews._**


	23. Part Three: Chapter Twenty

**Email:** kazzywhoever.com

**Summary:** If every decision we make determines where we end up, what if instead of doing one thing, we do another? Obi-Wan and the Jedi never knew that Padmé was pregnant with Anakin's children. _Leia, I know you're here. There's no use in hiding – I will find you._

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Star Wars. No, really, I don't. However, if someone would like to bequeath it to me, I wouldn't object. ****

**Notes: **Thanks to Kathy and Jedi Keladry for the beta! :-)

**Chapter Twenty**

======

_He who does not hope to win has already lost. –José Joaquin Olmedo_

======

Vader landed his ship with a sense of foreboding. Or not foreboding, because that was something Sith caused, rather than experienced. What he was feeling was that he had better be wary, on guard.

A contingent of stormtroopers – the Emperor's finest, and just below his guards – would come up to meet Vader and escort the prisoner to her cell. She would remain there until Palpatine was ready to meet her. The droids, currently shut down, would be kept until a suitable slicer could be found to discover what they were hiding.

Outside his ship, the stormtroopers were assembled, all standing at attention, waiting for orders. They were blank, faceless and without personality – just the way the Empire liked them. Almost exactly like clones. One, however, was very…short. Wondering if he should check on the soldier, he almost sent a mind probe that way. Almost. He stopped himself. Being short had nothing to do with ability.

_A small boy who won a podrace._

Shaking off all unease he ordered four troopers – not the short one, as he was weaselly and probably untrustworthy – to follow him on board. He directed two to get the droids, and the other two to follow him to Leia.

She jumped up, scowling, when he entered and turned her scornful gaze to the stormtroopers. So fast he nearly didn't catch it, surprise flickered through her, but she turned her gaze back to him with a sort of grim resignation.

"I hope you realise what you're doing," she said when he had the troopers cuff and shackle her.

He looked down at her. She held her chin up and gazed directly into his mask, no sign of fear on her face or in the Force. Standing proudly, she reminded him yet again of Padmé, yet also of Anakin Skywalker. Not bothering to respond, he turned and walked out. Contemplating this girl's origins would be his downfall.

"Condemning me in this manner, you step further from redemption."

He continued to ignore her words – being pulled into this conversation would only confuse matters more. Watching her through the Force meant he didn't have to turn to face her and see in her eyes whatever it was that prompted her to say this. Padm's eyes.

Offering no physical resistance as she walked, Leia seemed much calmer than she had been. That bothered him. The less on edge she was, the harder she would be to control. The harder she was to control, the worse it would be for her with Palpatine. If she was too resistant, and Palpatine was in a bad mood, he might decide she wasn't worth the effort and kill her. With her death, Vader lost all hope he had of using her as an agent of his own.

At the same time, he was proud to see her stance, the way she held her head up high, ready to meet adversity just as well as she could. She wasn't a snivelling brat, filled with fear.

He signalled the stormtroopers forward, and they escorted her out behind him. Using the Force on her, as he had aboard the Death Star to make her move was something he had decided against. Although he would if necessary, with the stormtroopers surrounding her, it seemed like overkill. Besides, it was tiring and Vader didn't want to keep her that way until he reached the throne room. As he weakened there was a possibility that even she might discover a method of throwing it off.

Outside his ship, Vader stopped. There was not a stormtrooper in sight. The two droids were by the door, and appeared to be trying to open it. Somewhere deep inside he acknowledged that, memory wipes aside, some things never changed. Without hesitation, he reached into the Force and flicked them both aside, ignoring their cries of surprise.

Spinning, he was just in time to see the appearance of the short stormtrooper, who lit a lightsabre, while one of the ones beside his daughter drew his blaster – non-standard issue – and shot the final trooper.

Unfortunately for this small band, the only remaining loyal soldier was able to get off a couple of shots at his sabre-wielding companion, before his death. The now apparent Jedi was forced to deflect the shots, becoming sidetracked from his coming duel with Vader.

And that was all the Sith needed. He lit his own weapon and attacked. Pressed into a position where he was on defence, the trooper whipped his sabre around just in time to prevent sustaining a crippling wound. Vader, though, still had the advantage, and he made good use of it.

The trooper was hindered by armour that was too big, and the vision-restricting masks. He was good though. He might have been struggling, but he was keeping up and Vader had to admit that to be able to do that, the false stormtrooper had to be very talented. By the time Anakin Skywalker had neared the end of his Jedi training, there hadn't been many in the Temple who could have emulated a feat similar to this trooper.

Still, it wouldn't be long before he fell. Vader was beginning to suspect who this trooper was, but couldn't get round the carefully erected shields to be sure. If it was who he thought, then he didn't want the boy dead, just temporarily incapacitated.

Distracted by the snap-hiss of another lightsabre, and the flash of blaster fire, Vader was suddenly forced back on the defensive. His daughter had acquired a blade of a brilliant blue colour from somewhere and been released from her bonds. The final stormtrooper carried a blaster, indicating he was not a Jedi. Therefore, he was a weak point.

Deflecting blaster fire and two lightsabres momentarily kept Vader from re-gaining his advantage. However, Leia was injured, the trooper with the sabre was hampered by his amour and tiring fast, while the other trooper had no real means of defence. Disengaging first from his daughter, and then from the other Jedi, he took his free seconds to pull the blaster out of the way and send the non-Jedi flying across the hanger.

Vader stabbed at Leia's mind, but she resisted, the bond she held with the other Jedi activating itself to help her. So he sent a physical blow with his sabre her way. She was forced back and to the side to avoid being impaled. Instead of following through on the attack, he whipped his blade at the other Jedi.

Caught by surprise, the other, who had been launching an attack of his own, awkwardly blocked, but not before he sustained a minor hit on his arm. The armour prevented anything more than a first degree burn, and on the other side, Leia was able to press her own advantage.

Vader took a second to throw some storage boxes at the still masked Jedi, so he could meet his daughter. This time he worked himself into a position where he could strike at the spots left weak by the girl's injuries, and then knocked the sabre out of her hand, leaving her defenceless.

Through the Force, and out of the corner of his vision the stormtrooper-turned-Jedi lifted his blade, ready to bring it down in a devastating blow. That was his mistake. Lightning fast reflexes allowed Vader to bring his own sabre up, wrenching the other's out of his hand, disarming him. The glowing green blade hit Vader's ship – doing enough damage to need some costly repairs before she could be space-borne again – and finally fizzled out.

Spinning to meet Leia, he found her gone, and when he looked back, so were her companions. They were all still in the hanger, he could feel it, but he couldn't get an immediate location on any of them. Had he been any less in control of himself, he might have cursed when he noticed he could no longer find the droids either.

This was a private hanger meant for the use of only those highest in the favour of Palpatine, but it was still very large and had a great many hiding places. All the privacy meant that there was a great deal less staff than anywhere else. Sending in a brief call for more troopers, he began his search.

_Leia, I know you're here. There's no use in hiding – I will find you._

======

Luke's first distraction had enabled Captain Solo to help her out of her bonds. His second, after Vader disarmed her, meant that she and Han could move themselves out of sight. Leia was then able to throw all of the energy she'd been using to keeping Luke away from her into keeping Vader away from her. She hoped she'd be more successful with the Sith Lord than she had with her twin.

Now, crouched down and running behind a row of boxes with Captain Solo, Leia sent waves of disapproval at her brother. What in hell was thinking? Vader had them both caught.

She couldn't contact Luke directly for fear of giving away their positions to Vader, nor could she get a location on him for the same reason. She just had to trust that he and Solo knew what they were doing, although at this point in time, that seemed highly unlikely.

Silently fuming, she didn't notice Solo had stopped and nearly ran straight into him.

"What, are you out of your mind?" she asked him.

"No, that would be your brother. This is his idea, I'm just along for the ride," he hissed.

She rolled her eyes. "Great. So where is he?"

"How should I know? Isn't your Jedi thing supposed to tell you?" he sneered.

_I'll kill Luke, I really will._ Did he have to tell the whole galaxy about being Jedi? Did he really want to die? Or was he just that thick?

"Are you telling me that you incompetent idiots managed to stage a rescue without a getaway? What did you think – you'd be able to waltz in and then out of the Imperial Palace without a hitch?"

"He's the brains, sweetheart."

She gave Han a withering stare, but couldn't think of anything sharp enough to answer to that. Anyone who trusted her brother to think things through clearly deserved whatever they got.

Luke rounded the corner and whipped off his helmet. His eyes lit up. "Leia!" he said.

Walking up to him, she lifted her hand and whacked him across the cheek. A punch in the gut would have been so much more effective, but the armour protected him. "Force, Luke, I know you're not the brightest, but even you should have known better than to come looking for me. Now Vader has both of us."

His hand on his cheek, he glared at her. "He doesn't have either of us."

"Luke! We're trapped in a docking bay with him – in the Imperial Palace!"

"Do you two mind?! We should be moving," snapped Han.

_Leia, I know you're here. There's no use in hiding – I will find you._

Leia moaned and dropped her head into her hands. Luke's arms went immediately to her waist. "Leia? What is it?"

"I can hear him."

"Who?"

"Vader."

"How?" Han was clearly perplexed.

"He's a Sith."

"A what?"

"A Sith." Leia looked at her brother. "What exactly did you tell him?" She jerked a thumb at Solo.

"That we were Jedi and Rebels."

"If Vader doesn't kill us, I'll skin you." _Careful, Leia, anger is of the Dark Side._ Well, if it knocked some sense into her moronic brother's head, then she was all for the Dark Side.

_Father, here I come._ She wondered what would have happened if he'd actually caught that thought. Then she wondered what had prompted her to think of him as 'father'.

"_If_ you want to stay here and get thrown in the darkest prison on the planet, suit yourselves. I'm going to find that astromech and get him to let me out." Han stalked off around some crates. Both C-3PO and R2-D2 had managed to escape when Vader was focused on the twins, as per Leia's orders. Unfortunately, they now had as much chance of finding the two droids as Vader did.

Exchanging glances, the Skywalker twins followed their companion.

======

Mara Jade ran silently along the corridors to the docking bay that Vader was currently using.

Her master hadn't seen fit to tell her what was happening, but she saw no reason to question that. He often didn't give her many details on her targets, only told her what needed to be done and let her take care of the rest.

Everything about this was extremely odd. She was the Emperor's Hand, not Palace Security, but what he'd asked of her amounted to just that. Catch two stray visitors that had slipped through Vader's fingers and make sure they ended up in cells, ready to see his Excellency.

Emperor Palpatine had made it very clear to her that he didn't want these intruders dead, just caught. Very unusual. All her targets to date, he had wanted dead. These could die if they had to, but she'd better bring them in alive. She wouldn't want to displease her master.

Mara didn't really care about the why. With the amount of time she had to get ready, she had to take these two out in a single blow. A blaster set to stun might do what she wanted, but she had better have a back-up method, something in case things didn't go according to her rushed plans. She'd hate to lose these two. From her brief mental contact with her master, she understood that they were very important.

Well, she would just have to make sure she caught them. Vader had let them loose, if she could capture them then she'd have one up on him. Maybe next time if there were Jedi to hunt, she'd get sent. The opportunity to match face with an opponent who might be able to hold their own thrilled her.

Quickening her pace, she kept moving. Her targets were currently in the same room as Vader and that was more of a head start than she was willing to let him have.

======

_Leia. Leia, where are you?_ She did her best to ignore Vader, despite the distress his voice caused her.

It wasn't as though he was deliberately trying to hurt her, or even upset her. Just the sensation of his mind almost touching her own was disturbing. The aura of darkness and power had not faded a single iota, but the worst part was that it felt familiar.

The familiarity came from a number of things, the first being a slight bond, which she would have given anything to break, but didn't know how. Leia could only guess the mental contact between them had done it. However, it was more than that. Something deep down recognised him. As though her being knew all about their supposed shared genetics.

Pulling her shields even tighter around herself, she gave a slight tug and Luke's power reached out. Identifying her, he pushed some of his own Force ability around hers, like a mental embrace.

_Leia? I can feel him you know – your brother. Like you, he is very powerful. _The words sounded further away, but that didn't reassure her. Vader could now sense Luke, and she didn't want that at all. She tried dropping her connection to my brother brother, but he wouldn't let go. Instead, he sent a clumsy Force blow at Vader.

Silent laughter resonated through the Force. _You will have to try harder than that, my son._

_There is no try_. The thought came from both twins.

_Then, try not. Obi-Wan may have taught you much, but he always was an ineffectual teacher._

Luke finally managed to pull a tighter cover over the two of them and Vader's voice faded completely from hearing. Leia nearly sagged in relief. Luke hadn't picked up on the significance of what Vader had called him, as he'd been too busy at the time to notice the possessive, but that didn't mean it wouldn't suddenly occur to him later. She'd just have to hope later happened when they were somewhere she could deal with it.

Taking a deep breath, and focusing on the here and now, Leia concentrated on her flight. Luke would find out when he found out, she couldn't prevent it. It was not her duty to do so. _One of the most important things about being a Jedi is knowing which battles you can win, and which ones were never yours to fight. The Force has prepared a destiny for all of us, and no matter how hard you fight it, it will come for you one day. You can either accept it, or die fighting it. This is not a battle you can win._ They were not Obi-Wan's words, just something she'd read one day, after being told firmly not to.__

_Does this mean my father was meant to be Vader? _

======

Vader could no longer grasp any sense of his children. They were no more than a faint buzz in the Force. To sense them, he would have to know where they were. Right now he had not the slightest idea of their location. The exits were guarded, but he suspected that anyone who could deal with a squadron of stormtroopers, as his son had done, wouldn't have any trouble with that.

They wouldn't get out of the Palace, though. He was sure of this, because Palpatine was scrupulous about security. For two tired and hunted Jedi, the obstacles would be too great.

Something to the left of his vision caught his eye. The mask distorted light and colour slightly, but not overly so, and he'd adjusted after nearly nineteen years of wearing it. So he had no trouble identifying what he'd just seen. A Force probe, met by a stern rebuff just confirmed it.

Nearly spitting with rage, Vader turned and stormed after the Emperor's Hand, favourite among his assassins, Mara Jade.

"Jade," he hissed causing the young woman to spin around, bringing her blaster up to aim directly between his eyes. The bolt, should she choose to fire, would bounce harmlessly off his helmet, but that was beside the point. "What are you doing here?"

"The Emperor sent me to catch the two prisoners that you lost." Her voice was sharp, almost mocking, but most definitely triumphant. Should she get to his children before he did, she would gain a lot of ground. He, on the other hand would lose too much.

"This is none of your concern."

"The Emperor thinks it is."

The worst thing was that to contradict her was to contradict Palpatine, and he couldn't do that. While he seriously doubted this little upstart Force user could replace him at Palpatine's right hand, if someone were capable of doing so, it would be her.

"Very well. Should you do anything to harm them however, the Emperor will not be able to protect you." She raised an eyebrow in acknowledgement, but didn't respond.

Turning, she threw one last comment over her shoulder. "May the best one win."

======

R2-D2, the astromech, was frantically trying to open a door that would hopefully lead to a safe route out. C-3PO, a protocol droid, was telling him to hurry up before they were all blasted into oblivion by Darth Vader. Han Solo was yelling at C-3PO to be quiet before he brought the entire Palace down on them. Luke and Leia, too focused on keeping them all safe, didn't pay any of them much attention, until a squeal alerted them to the open door.

Solo went through first, followed by the droids, and Luke was waving Leia ahead of him, when the first shot was fired. It was pure luck that it managed to miss them. Neither of them had been paying attention to their surroundings. Leia had turned back to tell Luke to – ironically – keep an eye out and her body had been twisted at an odd angle when the stun blast brushed past her, catching part of her arm. Her right arm. She winced as it went numb. This was going to make using a lightsabre very difficult.

Spinning immediately, the twins could see no one, but a quick check in the Force located a presence in the direction from which they'd just come. Unfortunately, this alerted the presence – another Force user – that they knew her hiding spot. Raising her shields she moved so they were unable to trace her.

Vader, firmly focusing on the Force, caught the movements created by all three and now both twins could feel him reaching out to Leia. _Leia, that is Mara Jade. If she catches you she will be unforgiving. Turn yourself over to me._

_Never. Not to you. Not to her. Do you hear me?_

Luke pulled his sister out of the way of a second stun blast. This type of attack was much harder to deflect than ordinary blaster fire. They needed to get out, fast. He swung Leia out the door before she could protest, or Mara Jade could fire again.

Han slammed the door shut behind them and Luke grabbed the blaster that hung at his side, and shot the controls, preventing anyone being able to open the door from either side. "That ought to hold them for a while," he said.

Still, Leia knew they had to get away from here. It would be a matter of seconds before they were caught up with by another bunch of stormtroopers, and then another, and another, and another until there were just too many.

"Which way?" she asked Luke.

"How should I know?" he snapped.

"Let me guess, you planned a way in, but not a way out?"

"I was working on short notice. I couldn't exactly download a detailed floor plan of Imperial Palace. I was planning on going out the way we came in."

"Excellent work, Genius." She took half a second to decide. "We'll go that way," she said decisively.

"What if I think we should go that way?" interjected Captain Solo.

"Well, you're perfectly welcome to, but don't expect me and Luke to come and help if Vader gets you."

"Look, Sister, if Vader gets me, you and Genius here—" he ignored Luke's frustrated look— "are stuck anyway. You're not going anywhere without my ship. Chewie wouldn't let you."

"Don't call me sister," she growled. She'd had enough people claiming to be family lately.

"Fine then, _Princess_."

Leia refrained from hitting him, but strode down the hall instead. The boys and the droids could follow if they wanted, but she was going this way.

======

**_Please review._**


	24. Part Three: Chapter Twenty One

**Summary:** If every decision we make determines where we end up, what if instead of doing one thing, we do another? Obi-Wan and the Jedi never knew that Padmé was pregnant with Anakin's children. "_You're a traitor and you'll destroy everything the Emperor has created."_

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Star Wars. No, really, I don't. However, if someone would like to bequeath it to me, I wouldn't object. ****

**Notes:** Please read and review. You guys don't know this, and probably don't care, but last chapter I broke through an average of eight reviews per chapter. So thanks to everyone who has reviewed!! :-)

Thanks to Kathy for the beta. :-)

======  
_He that fights and runs away, may turn and fight another day; but he that is in battle slain, will never rise to fight again. –James Ray  
_======

Luke supposed he shouldn't have been surprised when they met up with the team of stormtroopers just moments after leaving the landing bay. They were in Imperial Palace after all, and they were criminals – as defined by Imperial Law – but somehow he'd hoped that Vader and Palpatine didn't want to alert security too much.

Of course, it could be a random patrol. With any luck, that was all it was. If the Palace went into full alert, they were pretty much damned.

A brief firefight ensued, with Luke, Leia and Han the clear winners, despite being outnumbered. Han was a dead shot, and Luke had to admire the accuracy of the other man's aim – excellent for a non-Jedi. Even left-handed – her right still being numb – Leia was good with a lightsabre. She couldn't quite manoeuvre her shots at the troopers, but she did keep them away. Luke used all his aiming technique, which he'd developed from years of redirecting shots from a remote to hit his twin when they were younger, to deflect their shots back at the troopers.

Moments after the attack began, the three humans and the two droids – the protocol one seemed to be having a panic attack – stood in front of a pile of bodies. They were all dead. The shots the Stormtroopers had been firing had been to kill, something that contrasted with Vader and the woman from the hanger, who had been aiming to stun or incapacitate. Maybe it really was a normal patrol after all. They couldn't wait around to find out.

"We should hide the bodies," said Leia, coolly.

"Where?" asked Luke.

"We don't have time!" snapped Han.

"They'll know we've been here," she said threateningly.

"Then we'll just have to be long gone, won't we?" said Han as he turned away. Luke caught him rolling his eyes as he did so.

"Leia," Luke said placatingly, "we really don't have time. With any luck, it'll take so long for Vader or that Force-user to get to another opening and come round that they'll have to search everywhere for us."

"It would just take one person to find these, and sound an alarm…"

"Do you think they're going to say there's a pair of Jedi running round?" Luke hadn't intended to ask, but found he needed her opinion on the matter.

"Vader seemed to be very secretive about me, but I thought that was because…" she trailed off, and Luke caught a trace of something, accompanied by agony, before Leia snapped tight shields into place.

_Later_, she whispered to him, through the Force, _please not now._

"We're wasting time!" Han interrupted. "Never mind, I'm going." He stomped down the corridor.

"Oh my! He's right, we're all going to get caught!" said the protocol droid, and the astromech whistled something sharply.

Tugging on Leia's arm, Luke pulled her down the corridor. Leia followed reluctantly.

In this area of the Palace the halls were relatively deserted. They encountered no staff, and only one more patrol, this time of two troopers, which they avoided rather than confronted. The silence and empty corridors, however, were eerie, and Luke felt as though he was waiting for something to happen.

"I don't like all this sneaking around," Han said.

"So you'd rather take on the entire Imperial Palace, by yourself?" snapped Leia. It appeared that the bickering, which had coloured all their conversations so far, was going to continue.

"If it came to that. I prefer a straight fight any day," was Han's response. Luke reflected that he was probably being completely honest as well.

"And here I was thinking Luke was stupid."

"Hey! Would you two stop calling me names?" Luke complained.

"Would you stop doing dumb things?" asked Leia.

"Fine! Next time a Dark Lord of the Sith captures you, I'll let him keep you!" he told his sister.

"You do that!"

When they come across a turbolift, Luke wondered if it wasn't beneath the Force to play tricks on them. Here was an excellent mode of escape – surely that was against the rules. Somewhere in the galaxy there must be something written that the Force couldn't play tricks on you like this.

Han too seemed to find the appearance odd. "Is that for real?"

Luke could sense that Leia was just as stunned as the rest of them. It seemed to Luke and, from what he could pick up from Leia as well, his sister as well, that they'd be wandering around here for a long while yet – perhaps forever. Surely the turbolift was not actually there.

"Maybe we should use it," Leia said softly. "There's bound to be thousands of turbolifts in the Palace – this is just one more."

"Maybe we shouldn't," said Han.

Something whispered against Luke's mind. "Whatever we do we have to do it now, something's coming. You," he pointed to the astromech, making up his mind to find a designation as soon as they were out of trouble, "the doors appear to be locked. Can you open them?"

Wheeling forward, the astromech seemed to be thrilled at doing something. He stuck some sort of a jack into the key panel beside the lift door. Seconds later the doors slid open and the small band entered the lift. Just as the door shut, Luke saw a red-haired woman come into view. She raised the blaster in her hand and fired, the bolt hitting the closed door, distorting it slightly, as the occupants – safe for now, in their box – shot downwards.

======

Mara Jade had headed off on her own, and Vader assumed she was chasing the twins and their companion along their direct route. He kept a light check on her progress, her concentration keeping her from sensing him. Power and natural talent she might have, but Palpatine had kept her deliberately stunted in terms of skills. A properly trained Jedi or Sith would have sensed him.

So, he went down. That would be the direction the twins would head in, he was sure. Once they were out in public surrounded by the billions of beings who inhabited Coruscant, it would be so much harder to locate them through the Force, even with his tentative bond with Leia.

A brief flash of triumph came from Jade, followed very quickly by a flare of frustration – she'd caught up with the twins, but they'd escaped. Vader was relieved. He had no idea what Palpatine's orders to Jade were, but he suspected she intended a greater use of force than Vader would have her use.

If it came down to the twins being free and able to be captured later, or dead, Palpatine would go for dead. Force-sensitives were rare, but not that rare and leaving two trained ones where they could cause trouble was the last thing Palpatine wanted. The Emperor had not gotten to the top by being lax or merciful.

Vader, on the other hand, wanted his children alive. They were far more useful that way. While there was air in their lungs – and even possibly if there wasn't – they could be turned.

Glad that he knew the Palace far better than even Jade, Vader continued in his descent, hoping that he would reach the twins before they reached safety.

=====

Mara imagined she could feel Darth Vader gloating through the Force at her for letting the Jedi slip through her fingers and it only incensed her. For a moment, she rode the wave of fury, then shut it away before it could cloud her senses. She would reach the Jedi first and she would present them – unconscious, not dead – to the Emperor, if it killed her. The privilege was not one she would allow Vader. She gritted her teeth. Not this time, anyway.

She headed for the next nearest turbolift.

=====

Three floors before they were due to come out, Leia hit the emergency stop button. The sudden stop threw the lift's passengers part way to the ceiling and back to the floor in a tangle. Luke's legs landed on her own and the protocol droid's arm slammed into her jaw. She felt along it and snapped her mouth open and shut a couple of times to check to see if it was broken or dislocated. Thankfully, it was neither.

"What'd you do that for?" said Han sitting up, rubbing his temple, which was red and starting to swell.

"We need to get off here," she answered hearing the urgency in her own voice. "If we go down further, they'll be waiting or us."

"How do you know they're not waiting for us now?" he asked.

"Because if they were, we'd be able to sense it," Luke interjected before Leia could give the retort stinging her tongue.

She didn't understand why she felt like that. The question was perfectly reasonable. Han had no previous experience with Force-users, so he couldn't be expected to know that they could generally sense when someone was around them. Yet she still felt the urge to snap at him.

Leia shook her frustration out as Luke hit the open button for the door. The corridor was empty.

All exits out of Imperial Palace would be guarded, and as they were still in restricted areas, they would have to go through an extra layer of protection to get into the public areas. But at least coming from a stairwell they would have a slightly better advantage than a turbolift.

As it turned out there were stormtroopers at the top and bottom of every level. They were leaving a trail that was too obvious for Leia's tastes, but both Luke and Han were adamant that it would take too much time to hide the dead and unconscious bodies, so they left them as they were. Leia had to admit that her companions had a point, but it didn't make her feel any easier.

Finally, they were at a level where they could hear the bustle of the tourists and everyday people going about their business, not far from where they stood. The Force must have been with them, Leia thought, as they seemed to have taken a very direct route down. They could have been lost for a very long time, particularly if they had ended up in the parts of the Palace that were set aside for staff living. That would have been a nightmare.

"My children…" a harsh voice spoke from behind them, and Leia knew she'd relaxed too soon.

Along with Han and Luke, she spun around to meet the Dark Lord. Absently, she reflected he must have amazing shields in order to hide like that.

Vader said nothing for long minutes, and Leia found herself with nothing to say. Her mouth was dry, and she stood there with her back to freedom – just beyond reach! – a part of her wanting to take Luke's hand for comfort, as she had when she was a child.

"Join me," the Sith intoned.

"No." Both twins spoke simultaneously.

"It is your destiny."

"What do you know about destiny?" snapped Luke. Leia wanted to stop him, wanted to warn him about Vader. She didn't want Luke to find out their secret from Vader.

The Sith chuckled, "Ah, little one, she hasn't told you yet, has she?"

"Told me what?" Luke had always been curious. It showed in his tone and even in his stance now. "Leia?"

_Later, but whatever you do, don't listen to him, Luke. He'll stop at nothing to get us to join him._

A brief mental press from Luke let her know he understood.

Solo, who hadn't moved or spoken through the exchange, took this moment to interfere. He shot, not at Vader, but at the stormtroopers moving up behind the bulking man. This caused the troopers to shoot back, and in the momentary confusion, the twins lit their sabres, as did Vader, to deflect the shots.

Han fired a few more times before running in the direction of the public areas. The twins followed as best they could, the droids with them, moving just as fast as possible. Vader ordered calm behind them, but lost precious moments before he gained it.

The small amount of time allowed Han to take out the guards who prevented access to the restricted area of the Palace and the three fugitives ran out into the bright mass of beings. Han fired three more shot into the air, and that – combined with the death of the guards, the appearance of Vader, and his troopers – caused panic.

Luke and Leia shut off their blades before diving into the crowd Han turned to Luke. "Remember the way back to ship, Kid?"

"Yeah," said Luke, scanning the crowd while keeping a careful eye on Vader, who was looking for them, but was unable to see them.

"Good." Han grabbed Leia's numb wrist. "We'll meet you back there."

Luke nodded and turned to run in the opposite direction, taking the droids with them. C-3P0's cries of "Oh, my!" became quickly lost in the panic of the crowd.

Being dragged along by an arm you had no feeling in was disconcerting. It felt like being dragged by an invisible power. Was this what it felt like to be thrown by the Force if you weren't Force-sensitive? She would have to keep that in mind. The worst part was that she couldn't free her arm.

"Let me go!" She lit her sabre, and waved it at him, and he dropped her like she'd hit him with it.

"I'm so sorry, your Royal Highness! I lay my life at your feet for offending you."

With malicious glee, she stabbed just over his shoulder. Her looked at her with wide eyes, before turning to see the trooper she'd impaled. Further screams arose from the crowd as the man fell. Han just glared at her.

"Thanks," he said dryly.

"Not a problem," she answered, sweetly.

Unfortunately, lightsabres were uncommon weapons and obvious in the crowd, acting as a clear target for anyone looking for them. When another trooper approached, it was Han who took him down.

Leia would have liked to use her lightsabre to clear a path through the mêlée, helping them to push their way through faster, but knew it would just attract more unwanted attention. She kept it in her hand, though, rather than switching to the less conspicuous blaster. If Vader or the redhead, Mara Jade, found them she would need to be prepared.

At the doors, the guards were trying, in vain, to prevent the terrified beings from leaving the Palace. By the time Han and Leia reached the door, the guards were almost overcome, but Leia could see more troopers arriving, both from within the Palace and from without. Vader might not have been willing to involve too much of security, but it seemed those lower down in rank had no such qualms.

"On my count, we go straight through the door, turn left and keep going, got it?"

He was crazy, or on spice, his mind had obviously having been spaced long ago and replaced by ration bars. It was a pity she had no other option but to follow him. She nodded her assent. Well, if they died at least Luke had the droids. Touching her brother's sense let her know he was safely out and on his way to the _Falcon_.

"Now!" hissed Han, and they were off. Through the door, lightsabre swinging and blaster flashing, out into the street weaving through beings going about their daily business, or trying to escape the stampede in the Palace.

Behind them, someone shouted to follow them, but both Han and Leia had lived beneath the law for too long to not have superior evasion skills.

===

"Just be quiet!" snapped Luke to the whiny droid behind him. Out of the Palace now, they were on their way to the _Falcon_.

Luke was trying to keep a look out through the Force, but he could practically feel his ability to touch it failing with every step. He was exhausted, and wounded, and the adrenaline was seeping out, leaving him feeling weak and shaky.

Calling as much power as he could to himself, he moved on, hoping to avoid trouble.

He leapt out of the way of a stun blast just in time, spinning to meet his adversary as he did so. The alley he was wandering along was empty except for scattered rubbish, scampering rodents, and a redhead who was beautiful and faintly familiar. In a flash, he felt revived, energy flowing through him at the thought of combat.

"If you come quietly, I won't hurt you," the woman said.

"Sure, and if I sell my soul, you'll give me a bargain," he replied, igniting his lightsabre.

"You're a traitor, but the Emperor is stronger – you can't win."

"Palpatine is evil. Win or lose, I'll never surrender to him."

"Then you've already lost," she said finally.

As she lifted her blaster, Luke reflected that it was a shame that someone so young, and obviously powerful, was so trapped by Palpatine that she believed what she'd been told. Vader was one thing – stuck in the web of the Dark Side – but didn't this girl see what was happening around her, was she that blind?

"It doesn't have to be this way, you know," he said softly. "You don't have to take me to him."

"Yes, I do. You're a traitor and you'll destroy everything the Emperor has created."

"I don't see that as a bad thing."

"Then perhaps you deserve death."

She fired, but Luke was already moving. Unfortunately for him, she tracked his movements and fired again. As fire grazed his ribs, Luke realised that these last two bolts were not stun blasts; they were the real thing. At least, he reflected, that as painful as this had the potential to be, the fire would be easier to duck.

When he snatched the blaster from his belt, a sudden jolt ran a long his arm, reminding him of his earlier injury. He fired, but it went wide and she aimed a few more shots at him, before ducking behind the ruins of a speeder. Hastily deflecting the bolts with his lightsabre, he tried to aim them back at her. Damn, but she was good – aiming in such a way that the blaster fire wouldn't go back the way it came.

Firing wildly a couple more times, in the hopes he would hit her, he finally managed an angle that struck her left leg and she cried out, going down. He only had moments. Rushing over to her, he kicked the blaster she had dropped, away from her hand and stood on her wrist.

The woman grabbed his ankle and tugged. He wavered uncertainly, nearly losing his balance. Her good leg came up and smashed into him from behind. He dropped putting his knees on her chest and a hand to her throat.

Pushing at the redhead's mind was harder than he would have imagined – she was so much more powerful than he could have guessed. Surprisingly, there was no darkness there, only a strong connection to Palpatine. Pity. She could have made a good Jedi.

She fought back, but as Palpatine was otherwise occupied, Luke won and she slipped into unconsciousness. He really didn't want to leave her there; an unconscious woman with her looks would attract unwanted attention. Just thinking about that kind of 'attention' made Luke sick to his stomach. Mortal enemy or not, no one deserved rape or slavery.

"Sir, are we just going to leave her there?" Luke looked up at the protocol dorid. "It seems such a pity, she really is beautiful. I would think a person like that would be a target for slavers or other unsavoury beings."

Luke smiled ruefully at the reflection of his own thoughts. "You're right," he said firmly, and looked around for where he could hide her. Tucking her behind the speeder remains, Luke made sure that she was hidden from casual view.

"Oh, dear, that wasn't quite what I had in mind," said the protocol droid. The astromech unit twittered at him, in a tone that sounded angry. "Well, I know she's dangerous, but surely as intelligent as she is, we'd be able to reason with her?" The astromech blew a raspberry at him.

A part of Luke agreed with the protocol droid. Enemy or not something was prompting him not to leave her. Suppressing it, he turned away.

"Come on, Leia's wondering where we are, we need to get back to the _Falcon_, so we can get out of here."

"Oh yes, that is most preferable, young master."

They hurried back to Han Solo's ship.

======

_Please review. _


	25. Part Three: Chapter Twenty Two

**Summary:** If every decision we make determines where we end up, what if instead of doing one thing, we do another? Obi-Wan and the Jedi never knew that Padmé was pregnant with Anakin's children. _"All the best lies, Leia, make the most sense."  
_**Disclaimer: **I don't own Star Wars. No, really, I don't. However, if someone would like to bequeath it to me, I wouldn't object. **Notes:** Please read and review.

Thanks to Kathy for the beta. :-)

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

======

_Peace if possible, but truth at any rate. – Martin Luthor_

======

Leia and Han made it back to the _Falcon _before Luke and the droids. Han ran up the ramp to check that Chewie was ready so that when Luke got back, they could leave. Making a run for it from Coruscant would be difficult, but at least the Imperials had no idea how they were all planning on leaving. To keep them from escaping, a planet-wide emergency would need to be implemented. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that. Surely, neither of these two supposed Jedi, nor the droids were quite _that_ important?

He turned to ask Leia whether she thought such a situation would be likely, but realised she hadn't followed him into the cockpit. Telling Chewie he'd be back soon, he went to find the young woman.

Leia was standing at the top of the ramp, looking out of the _Falcon_ and into the distance blankly. She looked lost, and very, very young. What had she been through in the last few days? Imperial interrogations had never been pleasant and being a prisoner, escorted especially by Lord Vader probably meant that she'd had more than her fair share.

"Hey!" he said. "Princess! You all right?"

For several moments she didn't respond, and when she did it wasn't to the insult, or even to him. "Luke…" she whispered, painfully, and started down the ramp.

"Hey!" He grabbed her arms. "You can't go rushing off. What am I supposed to do if your brother turns up and you're nowhere to be seen? I'm not making this trip for nothing you know."

"It wouldn't be. The droids are the important ones," she answered, and he found himself relieved when her gaze sharpened, and her lips thinned – she wasn't looking so unfocused now. "Would you stop trying to drag me around? I have to find my brother!"

"I'm not letting you go, sweetheart. It's too much of a risk."

"I really will chop something off, if you don't," she threatened, reaching for her sabre.

"Fine. Go ahead." He was bluffing, and they both knew it. But so was she. Did this girl argue with everyone? Her brother, him…

She unclipped the lightsabre from her belt.

Han glanced over her shoulder. "Your brother's here."

Leia spun around and Han let her go as she raced down to her brother, who was still followed faithfully by the two droids – who were what this rescue effort was supposed actually about. Disgusted, Han made a noise in his throat. Typical! Only he and Chewie would get stuck rescuing droids, of all things. Droids!

A quick hug and both twins were up and inside the ship. Han slapped the entrance shut, calling to Chewie to be ready.

"Sorry," panted Luke. "Ran into…some…trouble…the red…head." He gulped some oxygen into his lungs.

Han headed towards the common area on his way to the cockpit and could hear the twins following. "What happened to her?" Leia asked her brother.

"Gave her a sleep…suggestion. She's back…in the alley. Feels like I should…know her."

When the young woman spoke, Han could hear a frown in her voice. "You know? I think you're right. An agent we've run into before?"

"Maybe."

"Well, if you two are finished with the reunion, perhaps you can tell me how much security the Emperor or Vader are going to use to keep us on planet?"

The twins exchanged a glance. "Well…"

"…it depends on whether or not…"

"…Vader can figure out how to locate us."

Han blinked. Okay. Was that one, or both of them speaking? He shook his head. "Is he going to find you, or not?"

"We'll work on it," Luke said firmly.

"You just fly the ship, Captain," Leia said.

He'd just been dismissed by two teenage Rebels. _There should be a minimum age. Maybe that'd stop them all from being so damn stuck-up. Nah._

"Fine. Be ready, we might yet have to shoot our way out." Turning, he strode for the cockpit, but he did look back and saw the twins sink to the floor of the common area, cross-legged, facing each other and holding hands, their eyes closed. _Crazy._

Sliding into the Captain's chair, he looked over at his co-pilot and best friend. "How is it that I always wind up in these situations, Chewie? I mean, why me?"

The Wookiee just chuckled and patted Han's shoulder, before returning to his work.

===

Leia could feel Vader searching for her, and knew that through their twin link, Luke could too. Gripping her brother's hands, she sank deeper into the Force with Luke following. Almost immediately, she felt better as the Force began to restore the energy she'd lost, and heal the wounds she'd sustained.

The effect was only slight however – healing and rest were not the purpose here, just a pleasant benefit. Using the energy that now flowed through them, she and Luke built barriers up around their minds, making them almost invisible in the Force, and hopefully preventing Vader from finding them. However, they had to be careful. As hard as it was for Vader to find them, it would be just as hard for them to know if he was close. The twins sense of him was as dim as his sense of the two of them.

Once they were done, they opened their eyes and sat there staring at each other for a moment. Leia could see pain and confusion in Luke's eyes, mirroring her own, and he didn't even know the half of it. Without thinking she threw herself at him, hugging him tightly. He wrapped his arms around her just as tight, and they sat there on the cool floor of the _Falcon _for long moments, clinging to each other.

"Luke?" she said, after a while.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for coming for me."

He just pulled her closer.

Leia reflected that having Luke close by was making her feel so much better. Just like it had when she was a child. Luke being close by meant that her other half right there, exactly where she needed him. She didn't have to worry about hiding from Luke, because he was as much part of her head as she herself was. Except for one tiny thing, one itty, bitty, little matter. Vader. He didn't know about Vader.

If she had her way, he would never know about Vader, instead remaining in blissful ignorance for the rest of his life. However, they had both been lied to over and over again throughout their lives, by everyone close to them. She was not going to lie to her twin. Nothing could make her do that. Honesty between them, always. Lying to him would be like lying to herself – and she wasn't about to do that.

Yet, she couldn't tell him now. There was too much that could go wrong. Telling Luke about Vader, while their father was in the same system would be a bad idea. Luke might go and do something crazy. She couldn't let that happen.

"You going to tell me what's got you all twisted? I mean, besides the obvious?" Luke asked softly, startling her.

She jumped. While there had never been secrets between them, they had learned early on that they couldn't dig too much out of the other. Obi-Wan had made sure that they knew there had to be a line between them somewhere so that they were two people sometimes, or most of the time. When they were younger they had disliked the separation, but as they grew older, it became somewhat helpful.

"It's about Vader, isn't it?" he continued softly, when she didn't answer him. "What he was talking about in the corridor? Can you tell me now?"

"Not now." She ducked her head down further so he couldn't see her eyes, and the tears. But she knew that Luke didn't need to see her tears to know they were there.

"It's bad, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

"Can you tell me later?"

"Yeah, in hyperspace."

"You don't want to tell me now in case I try to hunt down Vader, right?"

This time she looked directly at him. "You would, Luke. When he told me I tried to kill him, I was so angry."

"He's a liar, Leia. You can't believe what he says. He's a Sith and they always talk from the Dark Side."

"What he said Luke, it makes too much sense not be true…"

"All the best lies, Leia, make the most sense."

"No," she said firmly. "This was the truth. I don't want it to be, oh Force—" her breath hitched— "oh Force, I didn't – don't – want it to be, but the more I think about it, the more it seems it could be."

"Leia!"

"I'll tell you later, I promise." She tried to pull herself together, and it nearly worked. Standing, she pulled her twin up with her, and gave him another hug, which he returned.

When she moved away she saw his ribs and gasped. Along his side, his clothing was torn and his flesh was raw and burned. Furious with her stupid twin, she growled. "Luke! How could you not tell me about this?"

"Eh?" he craned his neck to see what she was talking about. "Oh, that. There was other more important stuff going on…"

"Luke, it's bad. What if it had gotten infected?"

He shook his dead. "Oh, never mind, I think we'll still have a short time before we go to hyperspace. We should clean you up."

"And you!"

"Whatever. Lets go and see if Solo keeps a medkit on this dump."

She pulled him with her right hand, but a line of fire jolted through her and she cried out. The numbness from the stun blast that had hit her, had finally worn off. But she had forgotten that it was the arm she had sprained. During her fight with Vader, she had tried not to favour it, and had been able to use both hands while still riding on adrenaline. Then the redhead, Mara Jade, had shot her, removing the sensation that had just started to creep back in. Now her arm was back to normal, though, and the last little pull was agonising.

"Leia!"

Gritting her teeth, she reassured him that it was only a sprain. Frowning with concern, he took her with him to find Han Solo's medkit. It turned out that he had an excellent one as, according to Chewbacca, he was always in need of it.

===

Luke wanted his sister to either rest or tell him whatever Vader had told her. Preferably the latter, as it seemed to hang over her head, causing her to tense at odd minutes, misery written across her face. However, Leia, being Leia, refused. He supposed in her position he would too. Stupid, stubborn genetics.

Han and Chewie were still in the cockpit and were not open to any interruptions. The trick would be to get off Coruscant without being noticed. Despite the fact that locating them would be slim, it didn't mean it would be impossible. Right now Luke and Leia were more of a hindrance than a help, so they needed to stay out of the way.

That left the two droids. Once both twins had patched themselves up as best as possible, Leia insisted on checking on them.

"Hey, droids! What are your designations?" Perhaps not the most diplomatic of greetings, but it was one way to cut through the intense argument the two seemed to be having. Apparently the astromech was quite mouthy, as the protocol droid was telling him to mind his language. Luke wondered what the short one was saying to get such a reaction.

"Oh, hello, Sir, Milady. I am See-Threepio, human-cyborg relations, and this is my counterpart, Artoo-Detoo."

"Nice to meet you Threepio, I'm Luke, and this is Leia. You two seem to be all right – you didn't suffer any damage, did you?"

"Nothing that a oil bath wouldn't fix, Master Luke."

Leia was kneeling by the astromech, murmuring something that he didn't quite catch. Artoo-Detoo whistled something cheerfully and projected a holographic image on to the wall. "Thanks, Artoo."

"What's that?" Luke asked softly.

She glanced up, and for the first time he could see hope in her eyes. "The plans for the Death Star."

"The what?" he asked, confused.

"The Death Star. It was what they used to destroy Alderaan. And here are the plans for it. We get these to Yavin 4 and they'll be able to find a weakness—"

"—and when they do, we'll be able to destroy it."

"Exactly." She gave him a grim smile, but even that faded quickly. "Luke," she said softly, her eyes filling with tears, "what they did…"

He went to her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, careful of all their numerous injuries. "I know, I felt it through the Force. All of them, so afraid, and then nothing." His own eyes filled and he shuddered, sending a slight shock through his injured side.

"We can fight them now," she said firmly after a moment, stepping back, no sign of tears. This was his sister, the one he knew best. Strong and determined. When she looked at him like that, he knew they were going to win the war, no matter how bad things were right now. Nobody could beat Leia when she wore that look – not even the entire Imperial Army.

Leia chose that moment to waver. Or her body did anyway. Luke was standing close enough to her to be able to catch her when her knees went out beneath her. He supported her long enough for her to get her balance back, but she still looked at him with unfocused eyes. All the stress and exhaustion from the last few days had finally, completely caught up with Leia and she fainted in her brother's arms.

Under normal circumstances, he would have just carried her to one of the cabins to sleep it all off. As it was, his own exhaustion and injuries prevented him from doing so. It was a good thing, he reflected, that Leia was out for the count, because if she had been aware that he practically dragged her to a bed, she would have put him out the airlock.

After making sure she was in a position that wouldn't hurt her injuries further, or cause her to bunch up in her sleep, he double-checked that she would not slip into a coma. Then he staggered out of the cabin and went to find somewhere for himself to sleep.

Luke guessed they could leave saving the galaxy from itself until after they'd slept and eaten.

===

Han's fingers tapped a staccato beat on the console in front of him, showing just how nervous he really was. When Chewie asked him what he was doing, he blinked in surprise and forced his hand on to the side of his chair, tensing the muscles to keep his outward reaction from mirroring his inner nervousness.

Usually he wasn't this jumpy, but then usually the contraband he carried didn't breathe and wasn't a member of an illegal operation with one of the most powerful men in the galaxy after them. It didn't help matters that they were trying to leave Imperial Centre with its extremely tight security. Han had done this before – more than once – but it didn't make it easier. They were taking a long time to confirm the false identity he given them.

"Be ready, Chewie, I think they've noticed something."

His partner growled softly in agreement as the comm. blared to life. "_Golden Myth_ this is Control. The identity you have provided is false. You are under arrest. Please prepare to be boarded by security personnel. Repeat: You are under arrest. Prepare to be boarded."

Swearing, Han hit the comm., switching it off. He prepared to make a run for it, knowing he didn't have to tell Chewie, as he could already hear his co-pilot doing the same. After making sure that Chewie was absolutely ready to fly, he leapt up and headed for the upper firing turret.

The_ Falcon_ sped forward, coming close to clipping the security vehicle that had been sent to capture them. This was going to take some tricky flying and he was glad to have Chewie at his side. Close by there were several ships and they would all be coming for them. Standard procedure in this situation would be for planet security to start firing, and the sudden jolt that sent Han into the wall told him that that was exactly what they had just done.

"Shields up, Chewie!" he snapped, knowing that if the Wookiee hadn't already done so, he would immediately begin getting them in place. Han wondered where his passengers had gone. One, if not both, of them should be firing at the enemy ships.

"What in the name of the Force is going on?" He heard the question almost at the same time as he took his place in front of the targeting computer.

Well, there was one of his passengers. Han didn't look up, concentrating instead on what he was doing – trying to return fire.

"I.D.s didn't check out. I didn't want to be boarded. If you want to help, you could get down there and start firing, or at the very least shut up and go away."

There was no reply from Luke, so Han assumed the younger man had gone to do what he asked. He wondered what Leia was doing, but lacked the time to ask questions. A volley of fire from below disabled one of the ships that were in hot pursuit of the _Falcon_, but he concentrated on his own shots, disabling an enemy target. Luke took out another, but more were arriving. Han hoped Vader wasn't aware of what was happening right now.

"Kid?" he called through the comm. "Is this just ordinary security, or will I be worrying about Darth Vader?"

"I don't know," came the answer. "As far as I can tell it's just security at the moment, but Vader would have to be a fool to not have someone alert him for any fake I.D.s that are pulled up. Just get us out of here, Han."

"What I'm trying to do, Kid. You just keep hitting them."

The _Falcon _swung into a dive, and levelled out. Then they sped forward out of range of the enemy ship, before shooting into hyperspace. Han was thrown against the restraints he'd had the foresight to fasten. Below him, Luke was swearing, mostly in Huttese, but Han caught a few choice expletives from a number of races. The general gist was surprise and pain from the abrupt and unexpected entry into hyperspace.

A few moments later, he met the young man in the cockpit. Luke scowled at both Han and Chewie. "Warn me before you do that, would you?" he snapped. A red line adorned his forehead and would probably turn into a bruise before long.

"Where's your sister?" Han asked, instead of answering.

"Asleep."

"She slept through _that_?" They had just flown through a short but intense fire-fight. Nobody, but nobody, could do that. Not without being severely injured first. Which Leia probably was, Han reflected.

"She's a sound sleeper," Luke said, a little defensively.

"Nobody sleeps that deeply."

Luke's eyes narrowed. "Plus she's injured, and exhausted, and probably a decent meal wouldn't hurt either. The Imps aren't exactly known for treating their prisoners all that well."

Han shrugged. That was true enough. "Fine, whatever. Just thinking that next time I have to escape from the capital, it might be nice if she could help."

===

_Please review._


	26. Part Three: Chapter Twenty Three

**Summary:** If every decision we make determines where we end up, what if instead of doing one thing, we do another? Obi-Wan and the Jedi never knew that Padmé was pregnant with Anakin's children. _That was definitely not a good idea.  
_**Disclaimer: **I don't own Star Wars. No, really, I don't. However, if someone would like to bequeath it to me, I wouldn't object.  
**Notes:** Please read and review. I'm hoping this will make up for the terrible last chapter. Of course, this is mostly pure angst. With a bit of Palpatine.

Thanks to Kathy, as always, for the fantastic beta job! :-)

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

=====  
_A dominant personality doesn't need to believe in its own will. All it needs is the inability to recognise the existence of anybody else's. – Brian Johnson  
_=====

After the _Millennium Falcon_ had entered hyperspace, Luke had thought about finding Leia and waking her up. However, he'd decided that if she was as tired as she seemed, that maybe he should leave it for a short while. Whatever she had to tell him upset her greatly, and as tired as he was, he had not even wanted to think about dealing with it.

Hours later, he woke from a deep sleep, ravenously hungry, and so went in search of some food. Captain Solo, by some trick of fate, actually seemed to be able to cook, and even seemed to keep his food supply well stocked with decent food. It would never compare to the food that was all but shoved down Luke's throat on Naboo whenever he visited his grandmother, but it was still very good.

_Oh, Force, Grandmother and Grandfather – they don't know Mom was on Alderaan – what are we supposed to tell them?_

They'd lost their daughter once and now they were going to lose her again, for good. Remembering the sadness in his grandparent's eyes, something small and sick twisted in Luke's stomach. He didn't want to be the one to have to make it all worse. Especially not when it was his mom that had died.

Luke really missed his mother, but she was gone. When Alderaan was destroyed, he knew she had been there, that she hadn't been scheduled for any missions or anything, because he and Leia had been going to see her in a couple of weeks. Now he had no mother, no aunt, no uncle, horrible news to tell his grandparents, and some little piece of poisonous news that was eating his sister up.

As he prepared some food for Leia, Luke was glad that there was no one around – Han and Chewie were probably taking the opportunity to catch some sleep themselves – as there was no one to see the tears that rolled down his cheeks and dripped off his chin, almost making the small meal soggy.

Luke carried the tray of food down to Leia. He opened her door with his elbow, almost upsetting the glass of water as he did so. Placing the tray on the small cabinet, he then knelt by his sister's bedside, and gave his eyes one last swipe to make sure there was no sign of moisture.

Cautiously, he reached out and touched her mind, using a manner that roughly translated, as 'wake up, Leia'. Her response was immediate, but unexpected. She recoiled through the Force as sat up gasping, her eyes flicking around the cabin, before resting on him.

"Luke!"

He offered her a tentative smile. "One and the same. Here, I got you some food." Once he had helped her sit up, he brought the tray over, and then sat on the end of the bed, watching her as she ate.

"How you feeling?" he asked.

"Like I was run over by a herd of stampeding banthas. You?"

"Pretty much the same, 'cept I think there must have been a nexu in their somewhere, with its claws out."

"Well, there's a full-blown sandstorm raging in my head."

"Mine's a got a cantina brawl going on. Like the ones you only get on Tatooine."

"Luke?"

"Mmmm?"

"Let's not do that again. I don't think I like it." She sipped her water, but didn't quite manage to hide her wobbling chin.

When she had replaced her glass, he moved the now empty tray back to the cabinet top and moved closer to his sister.

"Leia? Can you tell me what it is now? I know it's bad, but I think not telling is worse." She was all strung out and off balance, as was he, but whatever was going on in her head was making it all seem harder. With any luck, this would be one of those things that were not as bad as you expected. Somehow that seemed unlikely.

"Link with me," she whispered.

"What?" he said. "Leia…" That was definitely not a good idea. Linking took a lot of concentration – something Luke didn't think either of them had a lot of, right now.

"Please, Luke, I-I don't think I can say it out loud."

"You're not strong enough – you should wait until you feel better." She looked so pale and weak. He'd never ever thought she was weak before. Leia was supposed to be the strong one.

"Luke, it can't wait." Her eyes were filling with tears and Luke didn't think he could refuse what she was asking. Struggling she pushed herself into a sitting position. Automatically he brought his hands up to push her back. "No, Luke, please?" sighing he brought his arms around her shifting slightly so she was sitting. Leaning against him, Leia placed her head on his shoulder. Placing his own head on her shoulder, he wrapped his arms around her tightly.

"Are you sure?" he whispered softly, and felt her nod.

Gently reaching out, ready to pull back if she needed him to, he began to join their Force-senses. They almost never did this. They were mentally so close it was usually unnecessary. Obi-Wan had taught them the skill, so that should the twins ever need it, they would have it. Luke could count on one hand how many times they tried it since then, and still have fingers left over.

The sensation was a little like being one person. He could feel her pain, exhaustion and briefly re-lived her torture sessions with her. "_Leia…" "Luke…"_ they communicated wordlessly, and she tried to soothe his helpless rage at what had been done to her. A feeling of grief blasted through his mind as she touched on the fact that their aunt and uncle were dead, and he had to wait moments until she could work her way through it so they both could think clearly. Then she pulled him further, down to the knowledge she wanted to share with him. Or not wanted to share, but felt necessary.

Luke's shock was so great he broke the link with his sister abruptly and very roughly. Leia fell back on to the bed, gasping. "Luke…" she said, trying to reach out to him, but right now she didn't have the strength to push through his anger.

"No, no! It's not true! It's impossible!" But even he could hear the question in his voice. "What kind of monster would do that to-to—" he floundered, unable to say the words.

"—to his own child?" she finished weakly. She laughed bitterly. "To be fair, he only tortured me until he worked it out. Then he decided he would transport me to Coruscant to meet the Emperor. I – we – are quite the prize, Luke." She tried to push herself upright again, but couldn't quite manage.

"You can't believe this, Leia." He desperately needed her to say she didn't, but knew she couldn't. Vader – when he had told her and Luke had felt, along with Leia, the Sith Lord's satisfaction – had been telling the truth. Thus Luke, too, knew it to be the truth. Leia had tried to deny it, but the more time that passed, the more likely it seemed to her.

"She lied to us! Mom lied to us!"

"I know," answered Leia, "and now we can never talk to her, ask her about it. One parent in exchange for another – some deal." She laughed again, a harsh humourless sound.

"What do we do now?" he asked, feeling completely hopeless. It was a feeling he could see reflected in Leia's eyes.

"We go back to the Rebellion, and fight the Empire. We destroy Vader and Palpatine, and never tell anyone the truth about who we are."

===

When Palpatine called Vader into his presence, the younger Sith knew it was not going to be a favourable experience. Not only had Vader failed to bring even one of the Jedi to his master, but he had had both in his grasp and lost them.

"Lord Vader," snarled the Emperor from his throne, "perhaps you can tell me why there are two Jedi loose in the Galaxy – two Jedi that you should have easily been able to capture?"

"Both of them are strong, Master. I underestimated them, and they were able to escape. I did not realise that the boy would find his sister so easily." Lying to Palpatine was unwise; however, giving him only partial truths would probably save Vader's life. Besides, Vader did not really want to analyse why it had been so simple for the twins to escape.

"Underestimated them, Lord Vader? They are Jedi, you should know better."

"Yes, Master. It will not happen again."

"See that it does not. I will not tolerate such failure again, do you understand me?" Palpatine's voice was now deceptively soft from his throne. More than outright anger, this sent warnings up Vader's spine. When he was in this mood, Palpatine was at his most dangerous.

"So, my friend, tell me what it is you plan to do about this mess you have created."

"I will hunt down the Jedi, Master, and bring them to you for your pleasure." Vader was surprised at how much the words grated on him. While he knew he wanted one or both of them to train for himself, he had not realised how much he wanted them away from Palpatine. Both were powerful weapons, and in this war he did not think he could afford to give them up.

"No, Lord Vader, you will not." There was a crispness in Palpatine's voice that his servant did not like. "You will hunt them down, yes, but when you find them, you will kill them. Both of them. The Jedi are too dangerous. I cannot risk them causing more trouble. They have already stolen the plans for my weapon, I want them dead."

If the idea of giving the children to Palpatine was distasteful, the one where he was made to kill them made Vader's mind want to rebel. Kill them? But they would be so useful.

He had not realised that he had been silent for so long. "You dislike my orders, Lord Vader? You wish to do otherwise?"

"No, Master."

"Good. Now, there is just one last thing we need to deal with."

The robed figure on the throne shifted slightly, raised his hand up, and shot Force-lightning at Vader. The attack would have been relatively easy to block, Vader could have caught it on his lightsabre with little trouble, but that was not the point.

Blocking the attack would anger Palpatine further, and his punishment would have been worse, so Vader just accepted what was given out to him. As he lost consciousness, he noted that Force-lightning didn't get any easier to bear. It was as horrible as it had been the first time he had been struck by it as a young Jedi, and every time since then.

===

Mara limped into the Palace and was met by one of her master's lackeys. He was a particularly slimy aide who had once tried, rather forcefully, to get her into bed. A blade pointed at a sensitive area had dissuaded him from trying such activities on her – and hopefully other women – since. However, it had not prevented him from sliding his gaze up and down her body in a way that nearly made her threaten to take his eyes as well.

"What?" she snapped. A meeting with her master was inevitable, and punishment, likely. Before then, she would at least like a bath, something for her injuries, and a little sleep.

"His Excellency wishes to see you immediately," the man told her, leering at her chest. Her hands twitched and she longed to draw her blade on him. Why her master would keep such people around was beyond her.

"Fine," she gritted. Every step was agonising and she would have to go all the way up to her master's favourite audience chamber. She hoped that her lack of speed would not anger her master further.

By the time she could see the red-suited guards outside Palpatine's door, she was nearly crying with the pain. Only years of being taught to resist, and her own stubborn pride, kept the tears from forming in her eyes. _Sith, but it hurts. That Jedi will pay for he did, and for any punishment he causes._

Dropping painfully at the Emperor's feet, Mara kept her eyes down, and her posture as respectful as her injuries would allow. She waited for her master to speak.

"My Hand, how is it that you had a Jedi in your sights and let him escape you? Two Jedi, in fact. They have not had the benefit of your training. Why was the boy able to overcome you?"

Mara didn't know how to answer that one – she wasn't sure how the Jedi had fought her and won. He did not have her training, he had been tired and injured, but had still bested her.

"I'm not sure, Master."

"You're not sure, Hand? Perhaps I should enlighten you."

"Yes, Master," she kept her head bowed.

"You were unprepared. You let your guard drop and he was able to overcome you. I am disappointed, my Hand." He was angry. Very, very angry.

"Yes, Master," she answered. "I will not fail you again."

"Make sure you do not. Tonight I want you to report to a training room in order to practise your skills. You will also reflect on your weakness against the Jedi. Tomorrow you will have your injuries seen to. Then you will hunt down the Jedi. I want both of them brought to me alive. Do not fail me, this time, my Hand."

"No, Master." Dismissed, she rose to her feet, and bowed once more to her master. She wobbled on her injured leg as the adrenaline drained out of her, just catching herself before she landed on her face.

Mara Jade limped out her master's presence, wishing with all her might for a bacta patch or two, and knowing that to do so was a weakness. _Those Jedi better watch their backs. I won't let them escape again._

===

By the time they came out of hyperspace above Yavin 4, both twins had been up and about for a couple of hours, although neither felt like interacting with either Han or Chewie. Han had twice tried to scare them back into their cabins, saying they were drawing down the whole atmosphere of the ship. _Which,_ Luke reflected_, we probably are._

However, as dull and helpless as he felt, and he knew that Leia felt, he didn't want to be alone in a cabin. There would be too few things to reflect on, other than his newly discovered relationship to Darth Vader, and his mother's death. So he sat next to his sister, morosely watching the game of dejarik between R2-D2 and Chewbacca, with liberal interference from C-3PO. Under different circumstances, he supposed it would be amusing – or at the very least annoying – but right now it was just something to focus on.

Finally, a soft alarm notified them that they were about to reach their destination. Moments later, a giant gas planet and one of its small moons filled the screens in front of them. As they drew closer to the jungle moon, the comm. blared to life. "Unidentified ship, state your name and designation, or be prepared to be fired up."

"Not again," muttered Han, pressing a few buttons to answer. "Control, this Captain Han Solo of the _Millennium Falcon_. I have two of your people, and some droids for you."

"Two of our people? Identify them, and state your intentions."

Luke rolled his eyes. Leaning over Han so his voice would be picked up over the receiver, he said, "Control, this is Luke Skywalker of Red Squadron. The passengers are myself, and my sister, Leia. The droids are carrying information from the mission that was intercepted over Tatooine several days ago. Don't worry, we're clean," he added as an after thought.

Silence poured over the comm. for several minutes before they were given clearance to land.

When they landed they were swarmed all over, R2-D2 taken from them for the information to be analysed, and a barrage of questions aimed at both of them, as well as Han Solo. The orders given to the twins meant that both of them had to be debriefed within the hour, and afterwards checked out by a medical droid. Friends greeted them with joy and superiors with relief. It was good to be back where they belonged.

The Rebel base however, was a busy place and everyone eventually cleared away to get back to their duties and Luke and Leia were left to their own devices for a few minutes. Right then, a new voice interrupted. She had obviously waited until they were free, and not crowded with friends, but the anxiety she radiated showed it had been a hard wait.

"Luke? Leia?" The voice was so shockingly familiar, yet so unexpected, so out of place, that neither immediately recognised it. However, when they turned, there was no mistaking who stood before them.

Padmé Skywalker, their mother.

======

_Please review._


	27. Part Three: Chapter Twenty Four

**Summary:** If every decision we make determines where we end up, what if instead of doing one thing, we do another? Obi-Wan and the Jedi never knew that Padmé was pregnant with Anakin's children. _Entire family's crazy, if you ask me.  
_**Disclaimer: **I don't own Star Wars. No, really, I don't. However, if someone would like to bequeath it to me, I wouldn't object.  
**Notes:** Please read and review.

Thanks to Kathy for the beta! Who did an awesome job, even though she was battling the evil computer.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

-x-x-x-x-x-x-  
_Everyone is necessarily the hero of their own life story. – John Barth  
_-x-x-x-x-x-x-

When she arrived on Yavin IV, it was to the knowledge that Alderaan had been destroyed. Alderaan, and everyone and everything on it were dust, blown away by Palpatine's new weapon. Another of her oldest and dearest friends, Bail Organa, had been stolen by the Emperor. Another death she could add to her list of guilt. The only consolation was that it had not been Naboo that had been the target. However, she only felt worse for being glad that her home had been spared.

Luke had failed to return to the Rebel base, because he had gone after Leia. He would be able to do no less, his mother knew. If she had had a hope of finding them, she would have done, but all she could do was wait. So when the news was brought to her that a ship claiming to be carrying her children was about to land, she had hurried to the landing bay to see them.

By the time she arrived, the twins had landed and were swamped by a crowd of friends. She decided that approaching them would not be wise. The shock of seeing her, when there was a good chance they thought she was dead, would be better off coming when there were less people around to observe it. Besides, what might be brought up in the initial meeting would not be made easier with an audience.

As soon as people began to move off to their duties, though, she could stand it no longer. The endless wait had killed her patience, and brought forward her concern. Padmé moved out the concealing shadows and called out to them. "Luke? Leia?"

_My children are alive! They're safe and well!_ were the words that ran through Padmé's mind as the twins – her twins – turned to meet her, even as she took in their dishevelled appearance. She wanted to rush to them and hold them and assure herself that they were really here, and they were really all right, but she knew better.

Leia, at the very least, had spent a good amount of time in the presence of Vader and she had survived. After destroying the entire Jedi Order, the death of one more apprentice would not bother Vader. The Sith Lord would have killed her without a second thought – unless, of course, he had a good reason not to: like the fact that the Jedi was his daughter. If Vader had thought to pass that little piece of information on to Leia, the girl would have passed it straight on to Luke.

Padmé didn't know how they would react if they knew about Vader and Anakin.

Relief flashed across both their faces. Relief and joy, that quickly turned to something harder, and less welcoming.

"You lied." The words fell from Leia's lips, and Padmé felt as though she'd finally lost the war she had fought most of her adult life. Her daughter stared at her in pain and betrayal. Luke just looked confused and hurt.

How did she begin to tell them what had happened? How did she tell them why?

"I didn't, really. I didn't tell you the whole truth, but I never lied. I promised myself I would never lie to you about him, but I couldn't tell you the truth."

"Why?" asked Luke.

_Why, indeed?_

Padmé didn't have an easy answer for them, or a short one. Glancing around, she determined that there was no one in earshot. Still, she didn't want there to be any chance of what she had to say being overheard. These secrets would be hard enough for her to tell the twins, she could not bear for anyone else to know.

"If I tell you, will you listen?" She couldn't ask for understanding, not now, not ever. She didn't deserve it.

"We want to know," said Leia, as confusion rapidly overtook everything else.

"You have a debriefing?"

They nodded.

"Come and see me when you're done. I'll be in my quarters – I'm listed as Pala Antilles. Someone should be able to find me for you." She turned and walked away, not looking back. By the time she rounded the corner, out of their sight, her guilt had almost suffocated her.

-x-x-x-

Luke and Leia had disappeared into a group of over-enthusiastic Rebels, who were evidently glad to have them back safe and well. At one point, a gap had appeared and Han had seen them exchanging words with cloaked woman, who had her back to him. After a moment or two, the woman had turned and left. The twins had then come over to the ship and told him that they were going to be debriefed, and someone would come speak to him soon. Both looked visibly shaken – more so than he had seen them yet.

Shortly after that, he had been taken aside by one of the generals of the rebellion – Rieekan – and asked a series of questions about his version of events. Then he had been released to collect his reward. For what he could see, considering the probably slim wealth of the Rebels, they had been extremely generous.

There were a few things on the _Falcon_ he wanted to check out before they left, make sure the Imperials hadn't done too much damage. So he spent the time running internal checks while Chewie climbed across the hull looking for external damage. Both of them, however, were distracted from their work by curious and grateful Rebels who came over to speak with them. Apparently Luke and Leia were well respected by others around here. Han wondered how the two Jedi had come across that honour – they'd struck him as being troublemaking, and more than a little annoying.

So, he wasn't all that surprised when Chewie called him out again to see some visitor, just annoyed. At this rate, nothing on the _Falcon_ would get done, and he'd never get off the damn rock. However, a good look at his new guest surprised him.

Possibly one of the few politicians in the Rebellion, she was not like anyone else he'd been introduced to yet. Not a pilot, or a mechanic, or anything military – there was none of the roughness of the base about her. The woman held herself upright with an unconscious grace, reminding him sharply of royalty.

"Captain Solo?" she asked smoothly, and for some reason it brought an image of Leia to him mind. This woman was as beautiful, though much older than the sharp-tongued Jedi.

"That's me, what can I do for you? We're busy here," he answered, a little sharply. The woman seemed neither unsettled nor offended at his tone, remaining as composed as ever.

She glided forward – yes _glided_ was the right word. "My name is Padmé Skywalker." She held out her hand and he wondered if he should kiss it or shake it. He gripped it briefly, before dropping it. His eyes narrowed with suspicion. If she thought he was going to bow down, she was mistaken.

"Yeah?"

"Luke and Leia are my children."

"Oh." It was all he could do to not let his jaw drop to the ground. This was their mother. It was no wonder she reminded him of Leia. He was surprised he hadn't picked it straight off. For all her fiery temper, the young woman had a similar bearing. "They didn't mention you."

Padmé's expression softened just briefly, before pain flickered through her eyes, shuttering her face again. "They thought I was on Alderaan when it was destroyed. I imagine they found the topic painful."

Yes, he was sure they did. In fact, that made Luke's reaction to the destruction all the more understandable, particularly coming right on the heels, as it did, of his aunt and uncle's death. Han wondered if he should offer his condolences on the deaths of her family, but he wasn't entirely sure she knew about the trip to Tatooine. And what exactly were you supposed to say in a situation like this, anyway?

"I've come to say thank you, to you and your co-pilot." She tilted her head at Chewie who had come to stand at one side.

"Uh, you're welcome," Han said to her, and Chewie rumbled his own assent. The whole situation was becoming more and more surreal.

She smiled slightly. "Thank you, Captain Solo, Chewbacca – you have no idea how much I appreciate what you've done for me." Her smile widened. "And believe me, I have some idea what you've been through in the last few days with them, and I'm impressed you made it back here intact." Glimmers of amusement showed in her eyes, before being repressed by sorrow, once again.

_Damn woman knows exactly what trouble they cause. She's probably glad they were out of her hair, for once!_

"Good day," Padmé murmured finally, lifting her cowl to cover her face and hair, and moved off. The twins' mother moved more smoothly than anyone Han had ever met, and she had disappeared before he could blink, in an almost ghostly fashion.

Shaking off his strange thoughts, Han went back to his ship. _Entire family's crazy, if you ask me._

-x-x-x-

Something could be said for having enough prestige to have your room – it provided too much time to think. Padmé had had too much time in the past to think, she found she didn't really want to think more now, especially when Anakin was so close to the surface.

He'd never been far from her thoughts, but over the years she'd learned how to distance him from them as much as possible. Usually, keeping him at bay involved hard work and exhaustion – becoming too distracted to have to deal with him. The stress of hiding usually helped, as well. Yet, most everything eventually came back to him. It always did.

On Tatooine, nearly thirty years before, she had briefly met a young slave boy, and left him behind with little further thought. Maybe sadness for his situation, but certainly nothing more. That same child had turned up moments later, offering them shelter from the sandstorm. He'd then been the one to win the race that allowed them to leave Tatooine and get to Coruscant safely. Anakin had blown up the control ship, stopping the droid army. That had been a blow that had helped defeat the Trade Federation and save the Gungans. No matter what, no matter how hard anyone tried to keep him out of the way, Anakin was right in the thick of things.

Ten years later, he'd been assigned to be her bodyguard. He'd saved her life and managed to convince her to fall in love with him – _who needed convincing?_ Two of the most important political events of her career, her marriage and children – Anakin had been right there, utterly mixed up in all her memories. At this point, it seemed pointless to wonder how her life had become so entwined in such a destructive man's, but she did anyway.

Hating Anakin was not, and never would be, not an option. She had loved, and still loved him. His choices were something she couldn't approve of, something that angered her beyond belief, but she could not allow herself to be pulled into that last depth of hatred. Besides, he'd left her with one important gift, her children. Whatever else his faults might be, Luke and Leia proved that he was capable of doing something right – even if it was accidentally.

Perhaps finally, though, this would be the one thing that tugged her down. Anakin had stolen her life from her, everything that was good and familiar, but she'd had Luke and Leia – the two people that mattered most. Now he was taking them from her. Perhaps that would be the last blow.

A light knock at her door startled her, and even to Padmé's ears it sounded hesitant. For a long moment, she didn't answer, until she realised that she expected it to be her children – and they had never needed an invitation before. When she finally answered, calling out, there was an even longer pause before the door opened.

Luke walked in first, followed by Leia. Their hands were joined, providing the mutual front that they liked to show the world. They were stronger together, and they knew it. Two halves of a whole, meeting any adversary. It had been used against her too many times for her not to recognise it. Only now she doubted she had the strength to meet it.

"Please sit," she said quietly, indicating the small couch that sat across from the chair she'd appropriated form her desk. On the caf table in between, there was a small box. To her knowledge neither of them had ever seen it before, and if they had, she was fairly sure they had never looked inside – her fingerprint operated as the key.

Pouring both her children both a cup of tea took up precious moments, although not nearly enough of them for her to gather her courage. She set the cups on the table in front of them, and while their hands had separated, they made no move to pick up their cups. Padmé wondered if she should sit, but couldn't bring herself to do so. The stillness that the action would promote was too much for her to think about – she'd be trapped, pinned down by their accusations.

Padmé studied them for a moment. Neither looked completely well – not as well as their mother would like, at any rate. Luke had a bruise across his forehead, and Leia had one darkening her jaw. Both had moved with a slight stiffness that indicated other injuries, hidden by clothing. Leia's skin was pale, almost bloodless, while the shadows under Luke's eyes stood out sharply. But they were both here in front of her, and not in Imperial City, or floating in a bacta tank down in the med. ward – that at least counted for something.

Neither were speaking, though. For so long they had questioned her, and searched for information on their father. They'd pumped everyone they could for the scanty facts that their mother had allowed to be spoken to them. Now they had an opportunity to ask anything they wanted, and yet the silence reigned on. Padmé doubted they knew how to find the words. She would have to begin this conversation.

"I can't tell you why," she said softly, finding their attention suddenly very intently on her. "Mostly because I don't know why – why it happened, but I will tell what you want to know if I can."

"W-what about _why_ you didn't tell us?" asked Leia. "Just to begin with." There was a sharpness to Leia's tone that Padmé didn't like, but guilt robbed her of the ability to say anything about it.

"Anakin Skywalker as Darth Vader, second only to Palpatine, is your father? What kind of burden was that to give to a child? I couldn't bring myself to do that, not to you, you didn't deserve that. Nobody deserves that, least of all you." She'd lived with the guilt of Vader so long, that the weight resting on her shoulders was not necessarily something she could share – was not necessarily something she wanted to share.

"How did you marry him, Mom? How could you?"

"Do you think he was always like that? The man I married – your father – was a good person. Good and loving. This box proves that. He made it for me, put it together and carved it with scenes from Naboo. You've never seen it before, have you? But I carried it with me – I wanted something to remind myself that he cared, or did once anyway. You see Darth Vader, but that's a shadow of who he was. Anakin loved everything deeply, too deeply, and when something went wrong, it tore him apart. Eventually there were too many tears – and he couldn't put himself back together. _I_ couldn't put him back together. I failed him like that." She bit her words off. There was territory she didn't want to go into. They had enough, would be given enough, without adding her own guilt to it.

"We were together for such a short time. But they were good times and they made me believe – he made me believe – that it would work.

"Only somehow, it became perverted. I want to blame Palpatine – I do blame Palpatine. Without him, things would be different." Despite all the warnings she'd heard from all the Jedi she'd known over the years, hate swirled inside her. No, she didn't hate Anakin yet, but she hated Palpatine and she would die hating Palpatine.

The next few words tasted sour in her mouth, even if they were the truth. "It would be wrong to say Palpatine was the only reason – particularly because a lot of bad choices by a lot people went into Anakin's fall – but he was the one with the intent. He was the one who set his eyes on Anakin, when your father was nine-years-old, deciding there was his next apprentice." The words were of a bitter old woman. Padmé felt further resistance to saying more – she didn't want to delve into the past, she wanted to leave it behind. However, she had known that one day they would come to her for the truth, and she had known she would have to give it to them – known only she could.

So she told them. Whatever they asked she answered with perfect honesty. Only for her children did she drag out every memory, in all their shining and blackened glory. Both beautiful and twisted, from the time she walked into a dusty Tatooine shop, until the day she was dragged from beside her husband's bacta tank. Padmé spared them nothing, although it broke her heart. Living through the first time had been awful beyond words, re-living it was a nightmare beyond dreaming.

Padmé kept her eyes on them. A futile act of courage, to be sure – more bravado than anything – but not seeing their reactions would be worse. As it was, she could see they did not understand – it was something that would take time to fully comprehend.

When the words ran dry, she finally looked down for a moment, gathering herself to finish. "I don't know how to tell you what the two of you brought to my life. For so long, you were all I had to keep going, the only lights I had in all the darkness." Neither offered any response, and her soul crumbled into little pieces on the floor. Still she kept her outer appearance together. In time, they might forgive her.

"So who knows?" asked Luke after a long pause.

"Oh Force, Bail knew, Obi-Wan, myself, Owen and Beru. As far as I know that's all, except Palpatine."

Something she had said caused to the twins to react drastically. Luke blanched, and Leia stiffened, her lips thinning miserably.

"What is it?" Padmé asked them, trying to reassure them with her tone. She wanted to comfort them, now more than ever, but she doubted that they would let her get close enough to touch them.

"Mom," Luke began shakily, stumbling slightly on the title. "Mom, Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru are dead. The Empire got them."

Her hands flew to her mouth. _Oh no, oh no, oh no!_ Finally she sagged into the chair that sat opposite the twins, but for long moments, she didn't see even them. Owen and Beru.

_How could you do that? To your own brother? Damn you, Anakin!_

"Mom?" Both were staring at her with a mixture of apprehension, sorrow, betrayal and a little sympathy. Neither reached out to her, and she didn't reach out to them.

"They were the last," she murmured to herself. "Now, I am the last." This was what it was like to be alone, to know that there was no one else left in the galaxy who could understand. The universe was one empty void filled with nothingness, inescapable and unending.

"Mom?" The voice was distant, but it gave her back a fraction of her focus. She glanced down at the box on the table, shut and closed away.

"I'm sorry," she said to them, finally, her fingers running light over the carving of Theed on the lid. "That will never cover it, but I'm sorry. Sorry you had to be born into this, sorry that I couldn't tell you. If I knew why it happened, I'd be sorry for that too. I'm not sorry you were mine, though, I was never sorry for that. You – both of you – were the only thing that made my life worth living. That's all I can give you, and I'm sorry for that as well.

"I don't think there's anything more than I can tell you. Nothing more that would make sense, anyway. Whatever happens now is up to you. Please remember that, and don't let Vader decide it for you. I have to go now." There was a curious numbness in her mind, as if she wasn't complete conscious of the world around her. She could remember the sensation as being similar to the one she had experienced when she had kept her vigil as Anakin languished in his bacta tank.

Padmé left the twins sitting on the couch in her quarters. What she was going to do now escaped her, but she supposed the galaxy would expect recompense – it always had.

-x-x-x-

Apprehension filled Leia as she watched her mother leave. Her mother had never seemed so lost to her, so broken. Leia was used to the Padmé Skywalker who had dragged her children from planet to planet, hiding from stormtroopers, or the memory of Queen and Senator Amidala, who had fought for the safety and freedom of her people. This new, crushed woman was disturbing and Leia did not quite know how to deal with it.

The experience made her feel less safe, which was wrong, because Leia was an adult, someone who had been fighting in the Rebellion for years. Now she could lay claim to having faced Vader and survived – almost, anyway. After the last few terrifying days, and the destructive information that had been presented to her, why would that final image of her mother walking out like that scare her the most?

Leia was unsure how to approach her mother now, and that was hard. Her mother was the one person she had never had any trouble going to if she needed someone and Luke couldn't help. Now though, there was a wall. _She lied._ Well, yes she had, and it was an unpleasant sensation knowing that all your life you had believed something, only to find out that it was an illusion. Yet, Leia wasn't completely sure what she felt. Forgiveness would be the right thing, considering she was a Jedi, but how did one forgive this? The truth was just so – wrong. If she forgave, she would have to accept the wrongness and Leia wasn't sure she could do that.

A glance at Luke showed he felt the same. The Force was unnecessary to tell her it was shock, confusion, and terror that were reflected from his eyes to hers. Yet, as she watched, he visibly squashed them down and offered her his arms. Willingly, she let him hold her, and be held in return. The galaxy was too strange now, to be alone in.

The box, sitting still and intriguing on the caf table, eventually attracted their attention. Looking inside revealed a finely beaded cloth – a wedding veil; a handful of holos; a tiny case with four locks of hair – two dark, two light; a dried wild flower, from Naboo; a roughly carved pendant that was the one their mother had described in her story as being their father's first gift to her; and a small bundle of letters on holodisk.

What was there gave the twins no real answers. In the holos, the young couple of twenty years ago smiled with a strange mixture of sorrow and joy, as if they could be no happier in the moment they were in, but still sensed the coming pain. The small pendant was polished and a little worn. It was easy to imagine that, over the years, Padmé had taken it and rubbed it in her fingers when she needed comfort.

No, it was nothing more than a box of memories for a love that had been taken and destroyed a long time ago. But in some ways, it was reassuring, something both badly needed.

Their mother had kept this safe and close to her for two decades. Somehow, she had managed to hide it from Luke and Leia, and keep it from being left behind. The finely carved box was, in many ways, as dangerous as the twins. Granted, it was no more than any widow might keep as a memory of her husband, but in the end the box revealed one thing.

Anakin Skywalker, Sith Lord notwithstanding, and Padmé Amidala had loved one another. That, if nothing else, made the galaxy a little more comprehensible.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

**A/N: **Well, there you have it. I think I managed to get absolutely everyone out of character.

_Please review._


	28. Interlude

**Summary:** If every decision we make determines where we end up, what if instead of doing one thing, we do another? Obi-Wan and the Jedi never knew that Padmé was pregnant with Anakin's children. _"Lost, your Padawan is. Lost to you, to the Jedi."_

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Star Wars. No, really, I don't. However, if someone would like to bequeath it to me I wouldn't object.

**Notes:** Thanks to Kathy for the Beta!

**

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Interlude

Nineteen Years Ago

-x-x-x-x-x-  
_The cradle of the future is the grave of the past. – Franz Grillparzer_  
-x-x-x-x-x-

What she was doing was extremely dangerous. Unfortunately, Padmé didn't feel she had any choice. This was something she had to do. In less than an hour she was leaving Coruscant, and if she didn't do this now there would never be another chance. Palpatine would have gobbled up what little was left, taking away all hope. Of course, hope wasn't exactly a big player, but maybe the Force might grant her some leeway.

"Excuse me?" she said softly.

The guard beside Anakin's – Lord Vader's – door jumped. Padmé couldn't help the way her eyebrow arched. Was he really that tense?

_Yes_, she reflected as the guard brought his blaster up and pointed it in her face, _he really is._

What would make him that jumpy? His charge? What might come after his charge? Or his master? Padmé was quickly learning that the man she had respected, had thought she could trust, was much more dangerous than she could have ever imagined. And apparently he wanted her dead.

Putting her hand on the barrel of the weapon, she pushed it gently to one side. If it should go off now, it would fire harmlessly over her shoulder. Having a blaster bolt in her brain would definitely not be helpful at this point. In fact, it would be downright counter-productive, and even give Palpatine the upper hand. _Can't have that._

"I don't mean to cause trouble." _Yes, I do._ "However, I need to speak with Ana—Lord Vader. He's my husband, and it's very important." She gave the guard her best 'harmless, little Senator' routine, wishing she was a Jedi. 'Jumpy' didn't look particularly strong-minded. Maybe she could go away and get Obi-Wan, as she was sure he would help. However, that would take more time than she had to spare.

"No one gets through the door. His Excellency's orders." Of course not. Palpatine had already gone to great lengths to keep her out, so why did she think she could do it now? "Sorry, Milady, but I can't let you in." The strange thing was, Jumpy really did sound sorry. But he wasn't going to budge.

"Lady Skywalker?" came a smooth voice from behind them.

Padmé spun, and the guard's blaster snapped up again, but it was only the physician assigned to Anakin's care. Assigned by Palpatine.

"What are you doing here?"

"I wish to see my husband!" she snapped, feeling all the frustration, anger and disgust that she felt earlier towards the man begin to rise again. He was one of the main obstacles keeping her from Anakin, and she wasn't sure how much longer she could stand it. Padmé needed to see her husband. She needed to speak with him. There was something he needed to know. Anakin needed to know about his baby.

All things considered, with the galaxy in the state it was in, and with her husband's physical condition, now wasn't the best time for a child to be born – certainly not into the Skywalker family. But Padmé couldn't change things, and she didn't want to. She wanted this baby so very much.

The warning had been very brief. Palpatine – or someone high up from his office – had put a very large sum of money on her head. The death mark was being kept very quiet for now, but it wouldn't take long for every would-be assassin and bounty hunter in the galaxy to start hunting her down. Padmé Amidala-Skywalker was wanted dead, with the proof delivered to an agent.

If she died, then the baby would too, and Anakin would never know. Anakin, who wanted children. Anakin, who only agreed to wait because war was not a time for children to grow up. Because a baby would wipe out their ability to keep their relationship secret, particularly as Anakin had insisted, in no uncertain terms, that he would be acknowledged as the father right from the beginning.

So Padmé needed to tell him before she left Coruscant. Her husband needed to know how to find her when she was gone. He needed to know that Palpatine was trying to kill her. Trying to kill her _and_ their baby.

"I'm sorry, Milady, but as I told you earlier, you cannot see Lord Vader at this point in time. I believe Chancellor Palpatine indicated that he would try to arrange a visit for you. Perhaps you should return to your quarters. I'm sure that's where His Excellency thinks you will be." Yes, she was sure that's where Palpatine thought she would be, too. Like a blasted sitting duck.

"I've been called away on important business, and have to leave immediately. I don't have time to wait for Palpatine's say-so." The former Senator of Naboo kept her tone imperious – if worried wife couldn't get past him, maybe angry Senator could do better.

"If this is important to you, Lady Skywalker…"

"This is extremely important to me. There have been few things in my life of this import. I wish to see my husband!"

"…then you will wait until morning," he finished smoothly, unaffected by her change in tone.

The damnable man was trying to imply her husband wasn't on the top of her list! Padmé itched to slap the physician, grab the guard's blaster, shoot him, and then chop him into little pieces with the nearest lightsabre. But she needed him to see her a little favourably. Right now, he had the control, so the gruesome death would have to wait.

"Please? I just need a moment. There is something I have to give him. I won't disturb him, just place it on his bedside."

"I'm sorry, Milady, I cannot allow that. However, if you pass it to me, I will give it to him."

Padmé pursed her lips together, thinking. Something inside of her was warning her not to pass the data chip on to this man. However, it was clear she was not going to get in to see Anakin tonight. Nor could she stay until she could finally get past the barriers preventing her access, because remaining on Coruscant would get her killed. Her death was the last thing that Anakin needed right now.

"Fine, please give him this. It is vital that he sees it as soon as he is able. Also it is very private – for him to see only. Do you understand me?" Padmé tried telling the physician how important it was with her eyes, but she doubted he received the message.

"Chancellor Palpatine…"

"No. That man will not be brought into this. It is between Anakin and I only. I would rather my husband not see this, than have Palpatine read it."

"Very well, Milady, I will see that your message is passed on correctly."

"Thank you."

-x-x-x-

Bail Organa was actually pacing. Never in his entire life could he remember pacing – it just wasn't appropriate for the Viceroy of Alderaan. If his mother could see him now, she would turn in her grave. Of course, there were probably a great many things that he did – if his mother knew about them – not only would she turn in her grave, but she would probably rise from it to lecture him. Goodness knew his sisters did often enough, their favourite topic being the one about heirs.

Bail needed an heir, otherwise one of those deplorable cousins of his would take over after his death and that would be the end of the House of Organa, and no greater tragedy could possible befall Alderaan than that.

Unfortunately, there was really one woman that Bail wanted to marry, and she was already married. Not that it mattered, as she had made it clear early on in their friendship that she was not interested in anything more than what they already had. Yes, Anakin Skywalker's wife was most definitely off-limits to him.

Therefore, it made sense that it would be Padmé who was causing him to pace right now. However, Bail could only wish that the tension he was feeling was due to unrequited love. Instead his worry was centred on the fact that Padmé was risking her life – not an unusual practise for her – to see if she could get to Anakin. And Bail was left to pace outside a small ship, waiting for her to appear so he could aid her in leaving the planet.

Bail had hoped that when his message reached her that she would be willing to be taken off-planet immediately, but had known that was unlikely. Padmé was a strong-minded individual, and she would have her way if that's what she wanted. She had been desperate to see Anakin one last time as, according to her, she had something that she needed to tell him.

Still adjusting to the fact that Padmé had married a Jedi, Bail had disagreed, saying that she needed to flee before Palpatine's assassin could find her. The Senator of Alderaan had been given a taste of the temper that had previously made the Senator of Naboo feared in the Senate. For such a little thing, she was remarkably fierce – particularly when it came to her husband.

"Bail?" the soft voice from behind startled him and he spun, coming face to face with the woman at the centre of his thoughts.

"Padmé, you startled me!" She had approached so quietly. The way across the docking bay didn't exactly offer a lot of cover, and it would have taken her several moments to reach him. Her nondescript black pants and top, coupled with soft boots, had disguised and muffed her approach. At least that's what he assumed – Bail didn't like think he'd been so lost in thought that he'd missed seeing her head towards him.

"My apologies, Bail," she said, her lips quirking slightly. "I seem to be doing that a lot tonight."

He tilted his head at her quizzically, but she shook hers slightly, indicating that it wasn't important.

"Well then, we had better leave. I don't like staying around here." He threw a furtive look over his shoulder, a chill of fear squeezing at him slightly.

"I suppose so," she said reluctantly. And they started up the ramp of the small ship he owned for when he needed something more covert for travelling.

"Did you get to see Anakin?" he asked, ignoring a slight stab of jealousy.

Padmé sighed. "No, they wouldn't let me in. Apparently he's too injured, and Palpatine has left outstanding orders that no one except him and that blasted physician are to get into Anakin's room. Sith, but I hate that man! I can't believe I ever trusted him! How did we never see it, Bail? How!" With every word her distress increased, and angry tears formed in her eyes. "I hate him for doing this. I hate him. And I don't care what the Jedi say about hate – they can just go and rot in Sith-hell for all I care! Every blasted last one of them."

"It's understandable to think that after all Palpatine's put you through, Padmé, but don't let him make you into something that he would want. You're better than that." He guided her into the co-pilot seat, and began to start the procedures for take-off.

"Yes, better than Palpatine – I was the one who put him power. This is as much my fault as anyone's." Emotion died from her voice and it was replaced by something resembling defeat. "I caused all this."

"No, you can't believe that!" If he wasn't afraid of crashing the ship, Bail would have reached out to her, and held her, or shaken her, or anything, to make her see the truth. "Palpatine did all this. Not you. He has some great plan, I'm sure of it. You, me, Anakin, the Jedi – even poor Jar Jar – were just pawns. Nobody saw what was coming, Padmé. You can't blame yourself. If anything you're the greatest victim here."

"I wish that were true."

"It is."

Her eyes said she didn't believe him, but she offered no reply. For long a time, she sat silently staring out at the stars, which became clearer the further they moved from Coruscant's lights. Eventually, they lengthened into the star lines of hyperspace, as they made the final leap from the Galaxy's capital.

Bail turned to her, undoing his crash webbing. The dim light in the cockpit reflected off the tears that ran down her cheeks. Concerned, he moved over to her seat and knelt down, taking her hand in his and rubbing at it, shocked at how icy her fingers felt.

"Padmé?"

"I'm pregnant, and I didn't get to tell him. He doesn't know, and I can't go back." For the first time she sniffled slightly. "How did things get so bad, Bail?"

"I don't know," he answered sadly. It was no wonder she had wanted to see Anakin before she left, and no wonder she was so off-balance and upset, her perfect Senator's mask ruffled.

Helplessness invaded his personal sense, and he didn't like the feeling. This was one area of the galaxy he had very little experience in. None of his sisters had married or had children, and no one had ever came forward claiming him as father for their child, so he had no idea how to help Padmé right now.

So Bail did the same thing he always did when he was feeling out of depth. He organised. "Have you seen a medic?" A personal question, but a warranted one under the circumstances, as for the next few months he would be arranging her stay and her care on Alderaan.

"Just to confirm that I was," she told him.

"Does anyone else know?"

"No. I thought the Jedi might guess, but they didn't seem to."

"I don't know anything about babies," he confessed.

"Neither do I," she told him, grimly. "But I suppose I'm about to find out."

"As I said before, you're welcome to stay on Alderaan as long as you need." He paused before adding on the next part, feeling a flash of pain and jealousy, but knowing that if it would make her happy, he would do anything. "Anakin is as well – provided that Palpatine does not follow him."

"It would endanger you."

"Many things endanger me, Padmé. I've never let that stop me before."

"What about the rest of Alderaan?" she asked, but he could feel her resistance waning.

"They will never know you are there, so I can hide you as long as need be. Besides, even Palpatine can't punish an entire planet for the mistakes of its leader." He squeezed her fingers again. "I promise that it will be safe."

"Thank you," she whispered.

"No problem at all. But why don't you go and get some rest? It'll be a little while before we reach Alderaan. You look like some sleep would be welcome, now."

Padmé nodded and thanked him again before heading down to the small cabin.

-x-x-x-

Obi-Wan had spent the morning looking for Padmé, but to no avail. No one, it seemed, had any idea to where the former Senator of Naboo had disappeared.

He was desperate for information on his Padawan, and it was only Palpatine's warnings that kept him away from Anakin's bedside now. However, he was contemplating going anyway. The Supreme Chancellor of the Republic was a busy man, and while Obi-Wan would not fight him to gain access to Anakin, the Jedi Knight was less sure about restraining himself around Palpatine's flunkies.

If he only knew where Padmé had gone! Things between the Knight and the Senator might be edging on strained at the moment, but he was sure she would have told him what she knew.

Walking through the Temple depressed him – it was so empty – but Obi-Wan was too restless to do much else. He could go down to the lower levels of the planet, as there was sure to be something wicked going on that he could work out his frustration on. But that was not the Jedi way, and a little too close to the line that separated Light from Dark.

_I just want to know how he is! He's the closest thing I have to a son – surely it wouldn't be too much for someone to tell what's going on?_

"Troubled, you are, Master Kenobi," came the grave voice from behind him.

Obi-Wan did not bother to turn to greet the ancient Jedi, but he did pause in his aimless wanderings. There was a slight tapping as Yoda came forward to stand beside him.

"Perhaps I can help, hmmm?" said the wise master when Obi-Wan didn't speak.

"Unless you have power to overrule His Excellency, I don't think that you can."

"This I cannot do," agreed Yoda. "But many burdens, you carry. Lighten them, I can."

"I'm not allowed to see Anakin!" The frustration and the worry finally broke through into Obi-Wan's words. "I just want to speak with him."

"Lost, your Padawan is. Lost to you, to the Jedi."

"No! He's just forgotten who he is." But even Obi-Wan could hear the uncertainty in his voice. Exactly how much of Anakin could he save? After the lava pit, there wasn't much left, physically or spiritually.

"Touched the Dark Side, has he?"

There was absolutely no answer that Obi-Wan could give now in Anakin's defence. From the time they were very young, every Initiate was taught the dangers of the Dark Side, and that once you fell, there was no going back. In all his love for his apprentice, Obi-Wan could not deny what had happened.

"Your fault it was not, Obi-Wan. Clouded the Dark Side is, this future you could not see. Allowed you to train the boy, the Council should not."

"I wouldn't have given Anakin up for anything!"

For long moments, Obi-Wan felt the heavy gaze of Master Yoda, but no comment was forthcoming from the head of the Jedi Council.

"Lost to you, Skywalker may be, but the Senator of Naboo—"

"Padmé?"

"Bring her many troubles, the future will. Help her, you must, Obi-Wan."

Slightly stunned, Obi-Wan looked down at Yoda. "I don't know where she is!"

The command he was left with was succinct and to the point, leaving no room for misinterpretation. "Find her."

And then Master Yoda was gone, leaving Obi-Wan to feel more at peace than he had in weeks. Anakin he couldn't help now, but he had Yoda's permission to find Padmé, and that was a mission he could fulfil.

-x-x-x-

In time, all things came to an end. Nothing lasted forever – with the sole exception of the Force. Of course, many things – usually sentient in nature – tried to prolong their life, living out beyond what course had been set before them, but eventually mortality came for them too.

The end of the Jedi and the Republic filled Yoda with more sorrow than he had known in nearly nine hundred years. Yet, he knew that in many ways, it was inevitable. When the old had been laid to rest, the new could rise up and grow.

That he had lived to see the end of the Republic was momentous. Times of change were always cause for great regret, but in turn they were also cause for great joy, and the Jedi Master would not try to stop that change.

Yoda would play his part, as he had for longer than any other being could remember, and then perhaps Light would return to the galaxy again, bringing new life with it.

The wife of Anakin Skywalker had her own part to play in the new proceedings, as did the tiny spark of life within her that she wished to conceal. For that matter, so did Obi-Wan and his fallen apprentice – whose journey was far from over.

Skywalker was lost to them now. Yoda knew this, though it saddened him. Only Skywalker's child could truly save the galaxy. _Children_, the Force whispered, surprising the master as only the Force could.

Ah, yes, two children. It would be up to them to begin the slow process of healing the galaxy.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

_Please review._


	29. Part Four: Chapter Twenty Five

**Summary:** If every decision we make determines where we end up, what if instead of doing one thing, we do another? Obi-Wan and the Jedi never knew that Padmé was pregnant with Anakin's children. _"Difficult it must be, for difficult are all new things.  
_**Disclaimer: **I don't own Star Wars. No, really, I don't. However, if someone would like to bequeath it to me, I wouldn't object.  
**Notes:** Please read and review.

Thanks to Kathy, my wonderful, wonderful beta! Every time she does a fantastic job.

_This chapter is **PG-13** for language and adult themes. It is the only chapter that will be so. This is your due warning._

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Five

One and a half years after Part Three.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-  
_The heart has its reasons which reason does not know. – Blaise Pascal  
_-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Leia was crazy. Stark raving mad.

This wasn't a decision she'd made lightly. Oh no, it was one she had made after very careful consideration of all the facts. Very slowly it had come to her attention that perhaps she was lacking in sanity and maybe she should do something about it.

Only the little green _troll_ in front of her wasn't letting her remedy her ailment. He was making her work harder and possibly lose her mind even more. First, he'd started with the basic lessons she'd learned within weeks of starting training with Obi-Wan – when she was ten.

Yoda had then worked his way up to the really tough stuff, working her harder than she had in her life (and that was saying something). Leia didn't mind the hard work so much – it had its own benefits – but the mindless philosophies were starting to get to her.

So she figured she must be crazy. After all, she was still here, wasn't she? Luke wasn't. About two weeks earlier, he'd just decided he'd had enough and left the moon in his X-Wing, leaving her with the battered skiff to travel home in. Figured that he would have the smarts to get out.

Leia desperately missed her twin brother and his presence. Why'd he have to run off and leave her with the weird Jedi Master, alone, on a mud-hole in the middle of nowhere? Was he really that cruel and heartless? _Yes_, she decided, as Master Yoda returned with breakfast, _he really is._

For once, breakfast was a quiet affair, no philosophy, and Leia found herself lost in thought. Though she doubted that Master Yoda, with all his years of training, had the same ability to lose himself, he seemed largely content to leave her alone to her contemplations. Even after she had finished her meal and set aside the bowl, he stayed beside her, not saying anything.

Eventually, however, the silence had to end. "Restless, you are." The soft voice startled her, but she didn't react.

"He's my brother, I'm worried about him," she answered.

"Hmmm, his own path he must follow. Lies a different way, yours does."

Leia turned and glared at the ancient Jedi Master. "It feels wrong!" she snapped. Luke was meant to be here – didn't Master Yoda see that? Leia couldn't be a Jedi without Luke – they always did everything important together. Always!

"Difficult it must be, for difficult are all new things."

"You don't know the half of it," she muttered. _Stupid know-it-all Jedi Masters_.

"Think you that I do not understand? That no confusion have I felt?"

"You seem pretty damn sure of yourself."

"Certain in this matter I am: your training you should finish." Yoda watched her with those eyes of his, the ones that could see right through you.

"Not without Luke."

"Yes, without your brother!"

Leia shook her head, looking down at her hands, not his face. Right about now, her mother would be on her case about manners towards a Jedi Master. Of course, for that to happen Leia and Padmé Skywalker had to have a conversation that went beyond the occasional, tense "Hello, how are you?" when they passed in the corridors of the Rebellion.

"Meditate, you should. Clear your mind must be, to make decisions."

"Yes, Master Yoda." Somehow, though, she doubted that anything was going to change. Apart from Luke's absence, she felt that being away from the Rebellion for so long was wrong – even for a cause as worthy as completing her Jedi training.

-x-x-x-

As the girl settled down to meditate, she never noticed the soft sigh that Yoda admitted. Skywalkers. They were all the same: stubborn. Leia and Luke needed to complete their training, but for that to happen both had to be willing to do so. If they weren't, then Force help them, then they would fail.

Anakin Skywalker's children were the key. Through them, the Jedi would be redeemed. The future of the galaxy rested on their shoulders. Yoda could only trust that the Force would lead them true.

-x-x-x-

Luke knew he'd hurt Leia by leaving. But to his thinking it was unavoidable.

He understood the necessity of completing his Jedi training, he really did. At the same time, there was something he perceived to be more important. From the moment his mother had told himself and Leia about Vader, Luke had been haunted by the look of pain and grief in Padmé's eyes.

For so long, his mother had kept her secrets and it had hurt her so much. Vader had hurt her so much, had left her so broken.

Determined to give his mother something good, Luke was going after his…after Vader. If Luke could destroy the Dark Lord, then maybe Padmé would be able to heal.

The young Jedi figured it was the very least he owed his mother.

-x-x-x-

Drop a few names here, wave a few credit chips there and it could be surprisingly easy to get hold of a ship – if you were in a hurry and didn't care who knew.

Now that she had a second ship to her name, Padmé was unafraid to send a message where it needed to go. It could only be read as coming from the _Delightful Dancer_, owned by one Sheana Leed, place of birth: Alderaan. Even with the Force, the recipient was unlikely to be able tell who sent it to him, but he'd probably make a good guess.

A reply might take a couple of days to return to her, but she could wait. Padmé had been waiting two decades for this. It was time to end it once and for all.

Three days later, after a patient wait, the comm. bleeped with a message. Brief and to the point, the other agreed to keep to her requirements. _Geonosis. Four days. Alone._

Leaving the _World Bouncer_ at a lonely spaceport, she lifted off in the _Delightful Dancer_ to make the rendezvous. In order to survive this encounter, Padmé needed to be a little early. He would be able to leave easily enough, but she had to time this perfectly.

Padmé didn't particularly care if she was killed, but she worried after her children. Her capture could mean theirs; and if she died, well then who would watch over them? All the people she'd once trusted to do so had been murdered.

Before she left, she had given a data chip to Captain Solo – the strange smuggler that had attached himself to the twins – to pass on to Luke and Leia, should she die. Hopefully, it would explain everything. Hopefully, it would be unnecessary. Out of everybody in the Galaxy, the smuggler and the Wookiee were the only ones she would trust with this task. Not even Master Yoda warranted that from her.

Geonosis was just as she remembered it: open, dusty and deserted. Padmé got the feeling that if she went looking for them, this time there would be no Geonosians. Officially, nothing had happened to them. Like all of Palpatine's allies, however – particularly the non-human variety – once they'd out-lived their usefulness, they'd disappeared completely.

As she entered the arena where she'd fought for her life – and seen nearly two hundred Jedi lose theirs – her eyelids fluttered shut. For a second, the sounds of battle raged in her ears: the zing of blaster fire, the hum of lightsabres, her own heavy breath, and shouted commands from both sides. Unwilling to open her eyes, in case she somehow opened them to the start of the Clone Wars, she stood there in the sun, remembering.

Finally, she gathered every last scrap of courage she possessed and looked around her. Nothing had changed. Truly, it was like stepping back in time. The arena was empty of bodies, droids, and monsters, but it was like it had just been forgotten, abandoned. Not even Palpatine wanted to be reminded how the War had begun.

For the first time, she wondered…if there had been a better way, one that lacked the slaughter at Geonosis, would Palpatine have taken it? Had he regretted it at all? Or was the battle all the better for the death? For the loss of the Jedi?

Darker stains of blood patched through layers of dust. The lifeblood of so many people. A few enemies, many Jedi, and some friends had been slain here. Padmé was glad she could not feel the Force, she was sure there would be some backlash here, a darkness.

_The place where it all began._

_No. It began on Naboo, more than thirty years ago – here it all came to a head. This is where it ended, and now Geonosis will see another ending._

In the shadow of one of the great poles that stood in the centre of the arena, Padmé waited.

The sun had reached its zenith and begun its descent when he finally stepped into her sight. Long minutes passed as he searched for whoever had called him there, although he moved not a fraction – why bother turning your head, when you could search the Force without so much as a twitch?

Padmé knew he suspected that it was her who had brought him here, but whether he could not perceive her, or simply refused to acknowledge her first, she didn't know. Neither option seemed likely.

Courage deserted her, and she nearly didn't reveal herself, but then she thought of the life she had been forced into for twenty years, the life her children had been forced into, and stepped out into the sun.

Padmé called to him. His reaction was a little like seeing a statue come to life, like he had been standing in that spot for Millennia. She wished she could see his face – he'd always had such mobile, easy to read features.

"You!" Vader snarled.

"Yes," she agreed.

"You lied to me."

Padmé felt her lip curl. "People have been accusing me of that a lot, and I'm getting really sick of it. What exactly did I lie to you about?"

"My children."

"_My_ children. And I didn't lie to you about them; you never gave me the chance to tell you the truth. I came to tell you that day, and you just walked out on me. You never even looked back.

"You never got to see them grow up, never got to see how wonderful they were – and it's all your own fault! Had you bothered to pay attention, you would have had that, but you didn't." Padmé moved slightly to the left, just a couple of steps, but it was enough to make sure he turned with her.

"Bet it's been lonely, Anakin, no wife, no children, no Jedi – just a black-hearted bastard who lives inside your head and a bunch of power-grabbing politicians. I know you Annie, you hated politicians. How does it feel to spend most of your day surrounded by them?"

"Don't call me that!" he snarled.

"No, you always hated it didn't you, Annie? That's what she called you. It would kill her to see what you have become, and you don't want to think of that, do you?" She was amazed at the way she had him completely on the defensive. In some ways, it reminded her how much he really was Anakin. It would be dangerous, though, for her to think like that. She could call him Anakin, but she couldn't think of him as anything other than Vader. The moment she ceased to make the distinction, she had lost; and losing could very well mean death.

"Leave her out of it!"

"Leave who out of it, Anakin?" she said, deliberately sweetening her tone to mild confusion.

He didn't answer.

"I didn't think so. You can't say her name, or call her _Mother_. I bet you can't even say my name." Some deep part of her acknowledged that her words were nothing more than barbs, meant to injure. Small, petty jabs at his soul – but oh, it felt so good.

Padmé took another couple of steps to the left, and dust rose around her ankles. Vader turned with her.

"What else is on your "taboo" list, Anakin? I'll bet there's a great many things, and I'll bet they all come under the category of "love". They're not on my list, though, Annie, not at all. You see, I haven't shut myself in that prison, I still remember. I have two children who remind me of it daily."

She let herself smirk at him, but felt no humour. Mentioning the twins had been unintentional, and the reminder of them made her feel sick and a little sad. Padmé didn't stop her words, however, wanting to say this, wanting to feel the poison drain out of her.

"Do you remember love, Anakin? Do you remember what it was like? Or was love nothing to you even then? Was I just your whore, a pretty thing to pass the time?" Not pretty words, and she felt horrified that there was a possibility they might be true. She had told the twins the truth when she'd said that she would always cherish the time spent in Anakin's arms.

"Don't ever question me!" he all but shouted at her. _Ah, so there's still some nerves left to strike!_ And his response was reassuring: if there had been no emotion on his side when they had married, there would be none now.

"Still, I don't suppose there's even a whore that would touch you now, not willingly, anyway." Padmé literally had to fight the urge to gag. At the words, she felt sickly and weak – _that's my Annie!_ – and it was long moments before she had recovered enough to go on.

However, Vader, mostly silent until now, and probably as Padmé at the insinuation – she couldn't imagine Vader forcing anyone, anymore than she could Anakin – spoke. "What about you, Wife? Where's your horde of lovers, your whores?"

This time she did wince. If you excused the passes that drunken men (and women) had made at her when she'd occasionally worked in bars, the only time a man had touched her was that one chaste kiss from Bail, right before the destruction of Alderaan.

"But I forget," he continued, mocking, "you are the virtuous Queen of Naboo. You let no man past your robes." Irony laced his tone, giving his words spikes. "Excepting, of course, the Jedi."

The words were so unlike anything she'd heard past his lips _ever_ that she froze. Vader noticed, but didn't say anything. Now Padmé was glad she couldn't see his face. She hated to think what expression he wore, but she would guess it was triumphant. Something, though, bothered her. His words seemed to carry a second meaning she was not party to.

"Tell me, Amidala, how did you enjoy Obi-Wan's bed?"

The taunt was so unexpected, and so nasty, she was stunned. Moments later she found her voice, "You bastard! You Sith-spawned devil! How dare you? _You_ were my husband! _You_ were my lover! My only lover! You knew it twenty years ago, and you know it now!"

"How dare you imply the same of me?" he rumbled and the anger of the words rolled across her. Impasse.

But she wasn't finished with him. "How? You were the one who abandoned me! How the hell was I supposed to know what you did behind my back? For all I know, Palpatine could have given you a whole harem! I bet he has one himself."

"What His Excellency does is none of my concern, nor is it yours." So she was back hitting nerves. Good – that was where she was meant to be.

Taking two deep breaths, she stepped sideways again. Three steps to the left.

"What His Excellency does is the concern of the Rebellion, therefore me. His debauched ways will come to an end, Anakin, if I have to kill the Sith-bastard myself." Very neatly, she had stated her position in the galaxy as a member of the Rebel Alliance, and bought her own death sentence. _Oh well, at least I got tell him how I feel._

"So, Leia learned her foul mouth from you. I would have thought a Senator from Naboo wouldn't have soiled herself in such a way as too teach her child such language."

Padmé gaped at him._ Huh?_ Straightening her shoulders, she lifted her chin in defiance. "Well, at least I was there, which is more than I can say for you."

Two more steps to her left, and she was right where she wanted to be. An old broken cart lay in the shadows, and her lips twisted at the irony. It was probably the same one from all those years ago.

"I know what you're doing."

A second passed before she could catch up to his thoughts. These fast leaps in conversation topics hadn't been all that different to when she'd known Anakin before. For days, he would dwell on one thing, and then all of a sudden he'd go through a thousand different subjects, making her head spin.

"Enlighten me, Oh Great Lord of the Sith, what am I doing?" Padmé felt bitter, tired and old. It had been a mistake to come here. The only worthy thing she would get now was her death. _I had hoped to see Luke and Leia before I died. I had hoped that I'd be able to tell them sorry again, and that I love them…_

"You're running away. You can't escape me. My Master wishes to have you executed for your crimes."

"Your Master? What about you? Do you want me dead, Anakin?"

"Your death would be a warning to all those who oppose the Empire." A blithe non-answer, worthy of any politician, but nothing she would have expected from her husband's mouth.

"And all those who consider rebellion in the darkness of their souls? But don't lie to yourself, Anakin – you know the truth. My death would be nothing to the galaxy. The only reason he would kill me is to warn you, or to punish you – maybe both. But if you must, go on and kill me. I dare you."

Padmé closed her eyes, tilted her head back and lifted her arms away from her body. For long seconds, the only thing that she was aware of was his harsh breathing through his respirator. There was no snap-hiss of a lightsabre, no restriction in her throat, and no burn of Force-lightning.

Opening her eyes, she allowed a sneer of contempt to cross her face. "I didn't think so."

Then she turned and walked up the passageway she had been aligning herself with. "Goodbye, Anakin."

As far as she could tell, he didn't follow her, or send anyone after her. Padmé boarded her ship unmolested, and she left the planet unhindered. On the lonely spaceport, she switched to the _World Bouncer_, but somehow she thought the change was unnecessary. Vader would not follow her.

Padmé had achieved nothing with that little jaunt. Nothing. Both she and Vader still lived and they still stood at different ends of the battle. What had she hoped would happen? Not even she could answer that one. Maybe find a little peace? Well, she was as far from that as ever.

-x-x-x-

When Leia arrived back at the rock that served as the current Rebellion headquarters, she asked after her brother. No one had seen him. She asked after her mother, and was relieved to find that the Lady Pala Antilles had just arrived back from some secret mission she had undertaken.

Leia went in search of her mother. As tense as things had been between them, Leia was more interested in finding out what had happened to Luke. A slight tingle through the Force told her that her brother might not be in danger yet, but he was heading that way.

As she rounded the corner to her mother's quarters, she smacked into another body. Catching both herself and the other person before they fell, Leia righted them both.

"I'm sor—" she started to say, but then realised who she had banged into— "Mom?"

"Leia," Padmé whispered. The older woman looked her at daughter for a moment, and then her eyes rolled up in her head and she fainted.

Too stunned to react this time, Leia watched her mother slip completely to the floor before she could catch her.

"Mom!" she cried, kneeling by Padmé, desperately seeking her pulse, and life-sense through the Force.

There was a flutter against her fingers and the warm presence that she was long accustomed to, but Padmé's breath came shallowly, weakly.

Leia's mother had always been slight, but now she was thin, too thin. All over, bones stuck out at angles, stretching skin. And apart from an unhealthy flush to her cheeks, Padmé was very pale.

Heart beating hard in her chest, Leia scooped up her mother, hardly needing the Force to hold the small weight and hurried to find a medic, or a 2-1B, or just anyone who could help.

-x-x-x-x-x-

_Please review._


	30. Part Four: Chapter Twenty Six

**Summary:** If every decision we make determines where we end up, what if instead of doing one thing, we do another? Obi-Wan and the Jedi never knew that Padmé was pregnant with Anakin's children. _"Hey, Princess, you're going to wear a hole in the rock if you keep that up."  
_**Disclaimer: **I don't own Star Wars. No, really, I don't. However, if someone would like to bequeath it to me, I wouldn't object.  
**Notes:** I am so sorry that this is so late! I promise that the next chapter won't take this long. You have my word. Please read though, and let me know what you think.

Thanks to Kathy for the beta!!

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Six**

-x-x-x-x-x-x-  
_Sometimes even to live is an act of courage. – Seneca  
_-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Palpatine had not known of Vader's trip to Geonosis to greet the mysterious person. Now that the younger Sith had been and seen Padmé, he had no real desire to tell his master. His Excellency would only ask questions that Vader was unwilling to answer.

Like: why had he left his wife still alive? Or: why had he not taken her into custody for questioning about the remaining two Jedi, his children?

Vader was unsure if he knew the answer, even for himself. All he could know was that when faced by the woman he had _once_ loved, he could not bring himself to do anything other than shout at her. And shout he had done so, using very crass language – such as being unfitting for a man of his station.

Darkly, he recalled Obi-Wan's lessons about why he should not refer to the Viceroy of the Trade Federation as a 'stinking pile of bantha poodoo'. Apparently, Jedi did not swear. As he had become a Sith, Anakin had learned there were much more effective ways of expressing yourself than calling people by the worst names the Hutt language had to offer.

So, it was unforgivable that he should speak to his wife like that, whether she deserved it or not. Yet part of his mind had eased. While he believed that Padmé was perfectly capable of lying to him – witness his children – the anger and shock in her tone when she had denied sleeping with Obi-Wan had been too real to be faked.

Twenty years previously, when Palpatine had brought word that apparently both Padmé and Obi-Wan had simultaneously fled Coruscant, he had hinted that there might have been something between Anakin's wife and former master. Since then, thoughts of a liaison between the two had taunted Vader. Yet Padmé had stayed virtuous. Palpatine had been wrong. An unusual occurrence, but it happened from time to time. So, Vader didn't bother to question it. Much.

The Dark Lord had other matters to attend to, like the possible capture of his children, and their eventual death. His master had been most clear on that. Luke and Leia were to die. Perhaps, though, if Vader were to present Palpatine with the turned Jedi twins, the Emperor would be more amenable to letting one or both of them live. He'd have to be careful though. After Tarkin's little mishap with the Death Star, and Vader's possible part in that, Palpatine wasn't very pleased with him. He couldn't afford to make any mistakes.

And if the twins were allowed to live? Well, that could benefit Vader in many ways, provided he watched where he trod. They were his children, and surely blood was a bond that would bind them to him tighter than any to Palpatine. Despite the way Leia had shut herself as much as possible from him, he could still feel the slight twinges that came from her end of the bond. Even after just a few, fairly violent confrontations there was a bond there – what could he do with one formed by trust and pro-longed contact?

A part of Vader that he usually associated with Anakin flared to life: an intense longing to belong, to have a family. It was a part of him that the Jedi – rather stupidly – had tried to suppress. Oh, they had preached the ideals of brotherhood, and placed great emphasis on the concept of unity. Yet they had still rejected the young slave boy who had tried so hard to fit in, to be a good Jedi.

To what ends could he use a bond with the twins, though? Could he use them against Palpatine, and gain control of the Empire? It was a possibility. For some reason he couldn't quite decipher, Vader allowed his mind to travel along options he'd previously blocked from considering.

No longer was his focus completely on the betterment of his master. It were as though his encounter with Padmé was letting him think beyond the confines that had been placed on him for twenty years. Once, long ago, an encounter with a Sith Lord on Geonosis had allowed him to eventually explore other options in his life. Now he found another trip to Geonosis eliciting a similar turn in options.

But he must be careful. Palpatine would be sure to watch him carefully, as he had for the last yearly cycle. Mara Jade, too, had been acting oddly when he had come across the Emperor's Hand recently. The superior attitude was nothing new, but the amused glint in her eyes was. This time she was sure she held a position above him.

Vader had worked too long and hard to become what he had become. He was not about to allow some up-start, petty little Force-sensitive take it from him.

Certainly not when new doors were opening themselves.

-x-x-x-

Leia hovered uncertainly in the waiting room of the Rebellion's infirmary. When she had brought her mother in an hour or so ago, Padmé had been taken from her arms, and she had been told to wait. A few minutes after that, an assistant had been out to tell her that Lady Antilles was being seen by the medic. Leia was told she was welcome to wait, and she would able to see the patient once the medic was done.

The young Jedi had always had slightly more patience than her brother, but that had never amounted to much. Right now, she was pacing nervously from one end of the room to the other. She tried to repeat the Jedi Code, but it didn't help. So what if a Jedi was supposed to be calm? There was bound to be a sub-clause somewhere that stated being calm didn't apply when there could be something seriously wrong with your mother.

"Hey, Princess, you're going to wear a hole in the rock if you keep that up." There was a light tap of a booted foot on the smooth stone floor for emphasis.

Spinning, Leia came face to face with Han Solo. _Brilliant. Just what I need, Captain 'I'm not in it for your Rebellion and I'm not in it for you – but I still won't leave', Solo._

"What do you want?" she bit out.

"Hey, hey, I just came to see how things were. Your mom ain't half bad for one of you freedom-fighting types. I wanted to know what was going on. If there was anything I could do."

"It's none of your business. There's nothing you can do, so you can just go and get lost for all I care!" Tears stung Leia's eyes, but resolutely she held them back. As far as she was concerned, Tatooine would spout oceans before she cried in front of Han.

"All right, sweetheart, I can see this is a bad time for you. I'll just come back later." There was a softness to his gaze that she couldn't quite decipher, and it made her a little uncomfortable.

Thankfully, he left. Once he was gone, Leia sat down in a chair and drew her knees up to her chest, then dropped her forehead. Insanely, she wished she hadn't sent Han away. Loneliness had begun to settle in and she could do with someone to incite her temper.

Sometime later, Leia's dark thoughts were disturbed by a medic. "Ms. Skywalker? You can visit Lady Antilles if you wish."

Leia's vision swam as relief coursed through her. "Is she going to be all right?"

The medic paused, obviously trying to decide whether to tell the young woman about what was wrong. Pala Antilles was not known to have any ties to any of the other rebels, keeping mostly to herself, and acting as some sort of advisor to Mon Mothma. No one else had seemed concerned about Lady Antilles. The medic had to decide whether it would be a breach of privacy to tell Leia or not.

Finally, he decided. "Lady Antilles is suffering from malnutrition and exhaustion. She should recover, but will need to watch her diet and sleeping habits for several weeks."

"Oh, Force, oh, Mom," Leia whispered, mostly to herself. Food had been scarce when Leia was a child, and she could imagine her mother might have missed sleep on a regular basis, but nothing like this had ever happened. What could be so terribly wrong to cause it?

Despite the softness of her words, the medic was close enough to catch them. "Ms. Skywalker, did you say that Lady Antilles is your mother?"

_Damn._ "No one is supposed to know. You can't tell anyone." Leia didn't use the Force to implant the suggestion in his mind, just yet. She would wait to see what he did about it first.

"I won't pass that on, you have my word," he reassured her. "However, it does bode well for your mother. Illness is often easier to bear with your loved ones near by. Support of this kind is particularly important in cases like your mother's," the medic continued, having decided that as a next-of-kin, it would be safe to tell Leia.

"I don't understand what you mean," Leia said, feeling concern rise within her.

"Her symptoms are consistent with someone suffering from depression. Having family who are supportive in times like these can be a deciding factor in recovery."

Leia's panic must have shown on her face as the medic reached out a hand, gently placing it on her arm in comfort. "From everything I've seen so far today, Ms. Skywalker, having you nearby will be just what she needs."

Somehow, Leia doubted this was the case, especially after the way she and Luke had treated their mother over the last year and a half. Still, she didn't object, as she was too concerned for her mother to do anything that would cut her out.

"Thank you," she murmured.

"Your mother is still sleeping," the medic told her. "The sedatives we gave her will keep her under for a few more hours yet, and after that she will probably drift in and out for about a standard day. You are welcome to go and get some rest yourself and return before she wakes."

"No. I want to wait." It was past time to talk to her mother.

-x-x-x-

Padmé woke slowly, and gradually became aware of her surroundings. She wasn't where she had fallen asleep. Even without opening her eyes she knew this. The bed felt wrong, the light behind her eyelids was wrong, and the smell of the room wasn't right.

What else was wrong, Padmé quickly figured out, was that she couldn't remember where she'd fallen asleep. Problem. For the last twenty years, every night before she'd fallen asleep, Padmé had made sure to be aware of where she was, so she would know at least some of what was happening when she woke.

Cautiously, she opened her eyes. Finding herself in a bed in the med ward did nothing for her state of mind. Seconds later, the memories washed over her: meeting with Vader, leaving him on Geonosis, bumping into Leia, and then nothing.

Well, something had happened, something that was bad enough for them to stick her in a bed in the overcrowded med ward. Had she been injured? No. All her muscles ached slightly, but there was no real pain, and no numbness to suggest painkillers. Was she ill? Perhaps, but with what?

A whisper caught her ear, and she turned her head, only to almost fall out of the bed when she saw Leia sleeping in an uncomfortable looking chair. The girl's legs were at odd angles to prevent her from landing in an untidy heap on the floor. Her arms were hanging low, tips nearly brushing the dusty ground, and her head was forward and to the side.

Pushing herself up, Padmé's head spun, and she raised one hand to her temple, groaning slightly.

"Mom!" The call reverberated through her skull, and she wanted to cover her ears. Leia obviously hadn't been very deeply asleep, to wake so quickly.

"Leia? What's going on? Why am I here?"

"You collapsed." Her daughter's eyes were wide, and upset. "I was so worried. Then I brought you here and the medic said you hadn't been eating or sleeping. Why, Mom, why haven't you? They said it was a sign of depression. I was so scared. I can't find Luke, and you're sick—"

"What do you mean, you can't find Luke?" Padmé picked up on the most important statement in her daughter's words. Leia had always been able to find Luke, and vice versa. What had happened to cause her to lose her brother?

"Oh, I don't know where he is. I've only looked here, but he was pretty unhappy when he left Dagobah. You don't need to worry, Mom, he's fine. I know that much." Leia's eyes were wide again, this time giving her mother a guileless look.

As worried about her son as she was, Padmé could not quite summon up the energy to call Leia on her bluff.

"I'd better call a medic," said Leia. "They told me to, as soon as you woke up."

"I'm fine."

"No you're not. And I'm so, so sorry, Mom. I'm so sorry. This is all my fault."

Leia was rambling? It had been a long time since her daughter had been anything less than perfectly coherent while speaking. Obviously something was upsetting her. Padmé hoped it wasn't herself – it would be unforgivable to worry her children like that. At the same, it would be a relief: _she does still care._

"What in the stars gives you that idea, Leia?"

"If Luke and I hadn't been so horrible to you…"

"Oh Leia," Padmé really felt too tired to deal with this now, but her daughter needed reassurance. "This had nothing to do with you. Well, it did, but it was nothing you could prevent."

"I don't understand!"

Maybe it was the drugs, maybe it was a need to show her daughter what was truly wrong, she didn't know. Whatever it was, Padmé didn't censor her next words. Without a thought as to who might be listening, she said, "I went to see Vader."

"_What?!_" Once again Leia's voice reverberated through her skull. She didn't have a headache, but there was a curious feeling as if she might get one – and Leia was adding to it.

"Why would you do that? He could have killed you. He could have followed you."

"No. He would never do that."

Right then, if somebody hadn't decided to hammer a needle through her temple, the expression on Leia's face would have been amusing. "How can you possibly think that? He's a Sith Lord!"

"And I know him."

"Twenty years ago!"

"People don't change, Leia, not really. Your father included."

"He's not my father! And I'd say he changed a whole lot, or haven't you noticed the black monster storming around the Galaxy?"

"I'd noticed, but appearances mean very little. And he is your father. I should know," she muttered ironically to herself. Still, she caught the look of confusion on Leia's face.

"No, I refuse to accept that. I'm willing to believe that Vader was once Anakin Skywalker, who was my father, but as far as I'm concerned, that man is dead and gone."

The room spun briefly and Padmé closed her eyes to keep from passing out, like she desperately wanted to. "Oh, Leia."

"Mom!" Padmé opened her eyes to see her daughter hovering over her deep concern plastered across her face. Hands pushed Padmé down again. "Force, I'm so sorry. You need sleep."

Apparently her body agreed with that statement, because it was all too willing to slip down. Padmé chuckled slightly, strangely amused. _Oh Ani, if you could only see me now._ "It's all right, Leia. I'm all right. We'll talk more when I'm awake…" And that was the last thing she remembered for quite a while.

-x-x-x-

Well, that had been less than informative, and more confusing than ever. Also alarming. Her mother had just gone and seen one of the most feared men in the Galaxy, the Emperor's right hand man. Padmé had survived the encounter, but it had obviously sent her into a tailspin. How had she walked out of that one with her life? How did she convince Vader to let her just leave? Surely the wife of Anakin Skywalker, and the mother of two of the last Jedi Knights would be a prize above most, one that would be valued by Palpatine.

Leia's mother had just assumed that she would be safe from Vader, and she had. Did the Sith have a weakness after all, were there some things that he cared about? No. Leia refused to believe that. Her mother must have tricked him. But how did you trick a Sith, a master of the Force?

_I don't understand,_ she silently wailed at the Force. Distantly she felt her awareness of Luke shift, but he didn't reach out to her, and wouldn't respond when she did to him. _It's not fair! Why me? Why _my _family?_

"Hey!" A familiar, and annoying face poked his head around the door, before stepping into the room. "How is she?"

Leia felt a brush of indignation and uncertainty that made her temper flare up. "What are you doing here?" she spat. What, did he think he had permission to stalk her family now?

"Hey, Your Worship, settle down. I just came by to check on you and your mom again, and to bring you this." He handed her a mug of caf.

Leia eyed the gift suspiciously, but the warm cup comforted her, so she took a sip and almost choked. Even liberal amounts of sweetener couldn't quite disguise the bitterness of the hot liquid. It seemed impossible, but she always forgot just how bad the stuff tasted at the Rebellion. Maybe it was one of those memories you blacked out to protect yourself.

Still, she kept drinking it, feeling a little of her energy return. Regardless of taste, caf did do its job properly.

"So, how is she?" Han asked again, softly so as not to wake the sleeping woman. He was one of the very few people who knew of Luke and Leia's relationship to the supposed Pala Antilles.

Leia had never figured out why her mother had chosen to share that information with the Corellian smuggler, but to her knowledge, Han had never betrayed that trust. This only added to the young woman's confusion about him: he was abrasive and rude, he was a criminal, he constantly threatened to leave, but he had still done both her family and the Rebellion a great service. Leia just didn't understand him at all.

Opening her mouth to tell the smuggler to get lost and mind his own business, Leia was horrified to find herself telling Han everything. "She woke a few minutes ago, but she's asleep again. They said the drugs they're still giving her would mean she would drift in and out for a while. She needs sleep, and sometimes this is the best way. They said that after a while they'll give them to her to regulate her sleeping cycle. I don't know! She's acting stranger than usual, and things have gotten so bad. I've never known them to be so bad!" Leia caught her voice rising, and automatically dropped it, so as not to wake her mother. Oddly, she felt a little better now, despite the fact her rant hadn't helped anyone. For once, Han hadn't commented, letting her talk.

"I've been a terrible daughter, and now she's sick because of me. All my life she's been there, and then when she needed me, despite everything with Father, I—" Leia stopped abruptly, realising she had nearly tread on forbidden ground. Slapping her hand over her mouth, she turned away from Han to her sleeping mother. Even through the volume of her daughter's voice, Padmé slept on.

"Hey, Sweetheart, I'm no expert on this, but she's a tough lady. Like daughter, like mother, right? She'll pull through." He gave her a lop-sided smile.

Did he just compliment me? No. Of course not. Don't be silly, Leia, he was just trying to comfort you. But that was a strange enough thought. Han didn't care about anyone, especially not Leia, who – and she would admit it to herself – went out of her way to antagonise him sometimes. 

Utterly confused, she glanced up at Han's face. Maybe he was trying to tease her, but his expression seemed genuine.

Leia shook her head. Placing the half-empty cup of caf on the table, she headed for the door. "I'm going to find a medic. They told me to notify them when she woke up, but I forgot."

"Sure thing, Sweetheart. I'll just stay here."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

_Please, please review._


	31. Part Four: Chapter Twenty Seven

**Summary:** If every decision we make determines where we end up, what if instead of doing one thing, we do another? Obi-Wan and the Jedi never knew that Padmé was pregnant with Anakin's children. _His wife and children, though, were making a habit of associating with criminals._

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Star Wars. No, really, I don't. However, if someone would like to bequeath it to me, I wouldn't object.

**Notes:** Please read and review.

I want to say thank you to all the people who have been supporting me throughout this, I really appreciate it. Without you guys I wouldn't have got this far.

Extra big thank you to Kathy for the beta. This really was in bad shape before she got her hands on it. Do you know I had a sentence of 111 words? I didn't 'til she pointed it out.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Seven**

-x-x-x-x-x-x-  
_To respond to evil by committing another evil does not eliminate evil but allows it to go on forever.  
__– Václav Havel  
_-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Padmé and Leia were talking. Actually talking about real things, and not only nodding to one another in passing, guiltily avoiding each other's eyes. Just having her daughter's concerned face sitting beside her bed was enough to make a lump form in her throat, but having a conversation with Leia made Padmé have to fight back her tears.

They had yet to discuss anything of the darker subjects that hovered at the edge of both their minds, but truly Padmé was just taking the time to enjoy the flow of words. Leia had always been easy to talk with; the girl had a gift with language that would shine just as much in an official and political setting as it did in a personal one.

Leia was recounting some of the lessons she had learned on Dagobah with Master Yoda, expressing both annoyance and awe at the ancient Jedi – a feeling Padmé could remember experiencing herself.

"…and it's so frustrating because he sits there and says something utterly cryptic – and I mean _cryptic_ – and Luke sits there and asks 'why'. Honestly, Mom, it's all I can do to not crack their heads together. Only I think if I tried, Yoda would try and hit with that stick, which hurts."

"He hasn't changed all that much then," said Padmé, amused. "Master Yoda was always terribly wise and you couldn't help but pay attention, but he didn't always make sense. At first anyway. After awhile, you'll probably find that everything he's said is so very true." She smiled and reached out to pat her daughter's arm.

Leia was very worried about her brother and trying to hide it from her mother, but Padmé had raised two Force-sensitive children and she knew when they weren't being completely honest with her. She had made two discreet inquiries as to what her son was up to, but Leia had dodged both times, leaving her mother to wonder what Luke was doing to cause his sister so much concern.

Captain Solo had also visited once, which had been just short of pleasant, due to the quarrel that had broken out between him and Leia over some inconsequential and unrelated issue. They had bickered for a couple of moments before Han had bowed stiffly to Padmé, wished her a speedy recovery and stomped out. Leia had scowled after the smuggler, and Padmé bit back a lecture on manners, not wanting to disturb the fragile peace between herself and her daughter.

She was relatively sure of the source of antagonism between Leia and Han, making her feel both trepidation and amusement. It was a romance that had been debated through the Alliance headquarters often enough, their antics an entertaining gossip topic. Gossip wasn't something in which Lady Pala Antilles was generally included, but even this one had reached her and privately she had to agree with the assessment, even more so now.

What concerned her most was how easy it would be for Leia to get hurt over this. The girl had never been in love, Padmé was sure, and had only a handful of very casual relationships both on Tatooine and during her time as a Rebel. A heart was always a fragile thing, and Padmé was only too aware of the pain it could cause.

On the other hand, Han Solo seemed as flummoxed as Leia did, responding to her taunts equally. Padmé was sure he had a little better idea what he was feeling than Leia did, but he was unwilling to travel down that path. So the pair went round and round in circles providing what equated to the Rebel version of a holodrama.

Padmé liked the smuggler, and had done so since her first meeting with him in the landing bay on Yavin 4. How could she not? The man was responsible for the safe return of her children from Vader. And he had further proven his good character by sticking round – loudly indignant at having to do so – and helping the Alliance. There was more to the Corellian than met the eye, and while Padmé did not entirely appreciate his interest in her daughter, she did think he made a good companion for her children.

Leia was griping about the mud on Dagobah, and how it got into everything and refused to come back out again, "…it's worse than sand."

Padmé made a face. "I can imagine," she said. Before going to Tatooine, she had thought it would be relatively easy to shake the sand out clothing. As it turned out, even after being shaken and washed the clothes still retained the itchy, annoying grains. Eventually Padmé had swallowed her pride and asked Beru how to keep the clothes clean and neat – a difficult task under the best of circumstances with the twins. She didn't want to know how much worse mud could be.

"But, Leia, are you all right?" As much as she was enjoying her daughter's explicit description of the swamp planet, Padmé was far more interested in her wellbeing. Delving too deeply into this could explode in her face, but the former Senator had never been one to avoid confrontation – even if it was with one of her children.

"I'm not the one in the med ward bed, Mom." Leia lifted an eyebrow in a familiar gesture and Padmé rolled her eyes. That particular little trick of intimidation might work on Leia's twin, but her mother wouldn't be so affected.

"That doesn't mean you are all right, Leia. I'm not Force-sensitive, but I know when there's something wrong with one of my children. It comes with the territory." _I must be feeling better, if I can lecture like that_. And she did feel better, freer somehow, but that didn't decrease her worry about Luke and Leia – particularly as her daughter was now not quite meeting her eyes.

"Mo-om!"

Padmé didn't respond, just waited. It didn't take long.

"I'm worried about, Luke," Leia admitted, finally. "He's being an idiot, and I just know he's going to go and do something really stupid." She was trying to sound annoyed, but there was an undercurrent of something that indicated she felt otherwise.

"Leia, this may come as a surprise to you, but your brother is not completely stupid—" the girl snorted— "It may just be that he needs time to think about everything that's going on, without any interference. Sometimes there are some things that you need to do alone."

"Master Yoda said something similar," Leia said reluctantly. "I still think that I need to go after him though, just to make sure. I just get this sense of warning whenever I think about him – as if something bad is going to happen." She paused, but Padmé felt there was something else Leia needed to say, so she didn't comment.

"When we joined the Rebellion, he seemed unsettled for a long time. Then after Vader, and finding out about…um, who he was," she shot a scared look at her mother, "and then the Death Star, I thought he'd finally started to get better. He was clearer in the Force, not so strained. But when we went to Dagobah…I don't know…he was doing really well, then one day he just got up and left. I let him go because that's what he said he wanted, and that's what Master Yoda said I should do, but now that feels like the wrong decision. I need to go find him, Mom, I really do." Leia took a deep breath, but remained staring at her hands.

Taking one of those hands in her own, Padmé was surprised at how cold it was. Rubbing her daughter's fingers in comfort, Padmé sighed. Leia's fears could be put down to worries of a sister suddenly finding herself not as needed as she thought, or they could be legitimate Force-sent concerns. Master Yoda had been apparently unfazed, but Padmé was not entirely prepared to trust the Jedi Master, no matter how wise he might be.

"If you think you should go after him, Leia, then do so. Chances are, he's fine, in which case he can get annoyed with you and you can come back again."

"Master Yoda said I should let him find his own path…"

"Maybe he's right, but he's not Luke's mother, and I would feel much better myself if you went and played interfering sister." Padmé smiled encouragingly at her daughter, placing a hand under her chin so she could look her in the eyes.

Leia nodded, a little reassured, and when Padmé held her arms out, Leia came in willingly for a hug. For several minutes they held each other tightly, then Padmé pulled back and kissed Leia's cheek.

"I love you, dearest, now go find your brother." She resisted the urge to tell her daughter to bring Luke back, because the last time she'd asked someone to do that, it had ended in disaster. Maybe, just maybe, this time she wouldn't lose everything she loved. Maybe her family would come home safe.

-x-x-x-

Vader was still alone when he touched down on a private Imperial refilling station, meant for a very select few. In a few days, he would meet up with the Executor again and continue his search, both for the Rebellion and his children.

The search for the Rebellion was relatively easy. Often they were not long at their current base before they were forced to move on by the Empire. They were growing larger on an almost daily basis with every battle or skirmish they won and probably even those they lost. However, their size did make it difficult to hide, and difficult to sniff out all the Imperial spies amongst themselves.

Yet the destruction of the Death Star was a mighty advantage the Rebels had over the Empire and they made sure to flaunt it. Official press releases from Palpatine couldn't begin to dull the edge that victory had given the Rebels.

That the Rebels barely lost as many as the Empire did in any surprise attack was a credit to their skills, and the intelligence of their leaders. What had once been a rag-tag bunch of freedom fighters was now an increasingly well-organised threat – not to mention a rapidly growing one.

Clearly, Vader could remember Leia's words to Tarkin, before she was removed to Coruscant. _"The more you tighten your grip, the more star systems will slip through your fingers."_ The Dark Lord smiled grimly behind his mask. But a niggling query about whether she could have inherited such prophecy from her mother's political training or her father's Force-sensitivity instantly dulled the amusement.

He didn't have to wonder where Luke got the flying skills he so clearly displayed at the Battle of the Death Star, as the Rebels called it. Padmé was a competent pilot, but was nothing compared to Vader, or even Anakin. Luke flew with a talent that made most other pilots turn green with envy, and a part of Vader couldn't help but feel proud.

Luke could use work, though: Vader had nearly had the opportunity to destroy his son's X-Wing. As good as he was, Vader was better, and the Death Star had proved that. To make matters worse, the boy had raised all his shields and ignored any warning calls his father had made to him during the trench run, putting Vader in the very uncomfortable position of having to decide whether to disobey his master, or to kill his son.

If it hadn't been for that infernal Captain Solo – what _were_ his children doing attaching themselves to a smuggler of Solo's notoriety? – he would have either shot his son out of the sky or caused himself more trouble than his shaky position at Palpatine's side would allow.

His wife and children, though, were making a habit of associating with criminals it would seem. Being a member of the Rebellion was enough to earn a person a death sentence on any Imperial world – they were traitors and deserved a traitor's death. Yet Vader had rather abruptly discovered that he didn't want his family harmed, he wanted them safe and with him – the sensation was disconcerting.

That Padmé had decided to side with these traitors was hardly surprising, as she had objected to Palpatine's rule from the beginning, but it hurt nonetheless. Vader did not like the pain it caused – it showed that his emotions were still too close to the surface. After twenty years, one would have thought he'd lost all ability to feel, but once again Padmé had shown him just how truly vulnerable he was.

When she'd apparently run off with Kenobi, he'd raged against them both for their treachery. However, it would appear that both had remained virtuous throughout the years, despite other illegal practises such as training Jedi and joining the Rebellion. If Vader had been willing to admit to such an emotion, he would have said he was confused – confused as to how the galaxy had so rapidly become such a strange place.

-x-x-x-

"I need your help."

Han Solo took his time looking up at the speaker, knowing the delay would annoy her. When his gaze finally settled on her face, he could see he had accomplished what he had set out to do. Leia Skywalker was standing in front of him, wearing a jumpsuit with her lightsabre on her belt – a sure sign she meant business. Her arms were crossed and her foot was tapping. She was beautiful…and very, very frustrated. Not to mention frustrating.

Leia opened her mouth to speak again, but deciding that he would do much better to ask her what she wanted before she got the opportunity to ask again, Han said, "And what can I do to serve you this fine and bright morning, Your Highnessness?"

The scowl on the face of the woman in front of him darkened, and he watched her visibly restrain herself from snapping at him. He had to keep himself from smirking – it was so easy to get under her skin, one little comment was all it took. Sure, doing so was juvenile, but it was also fun to have this beautiful, intelligent woman sparring with him. In all honesty, while it had been much quieter when she was off training wherever it was, he had missed her.

She took a deep breath, "I need to borrow the _Falcon_."

Several minutes passed as Han tried to understand what she was saying. Surely she hadn't just asked to borrow his ship? A ship she had repeatedly insulted, disparaged and generally put down? Obviously, it was head games – some of the less friendly rumours about Jedi were that they had been adept at playing with people's minds. Maybe this was what Leia was trying to do.

"I'm sorry, Princess, did you just ask to borrow my ship – this _junk heap_? Anyway, don't you have a ship of your own?"

Leia winced, and her jaw worked for several minutes. When she spoke again, her voice was carefully controlled. "She's not fast enough. If you're unable to help me with this, Captain…"

"I didn't say that. But you haven't told me why you want to borrow my ship. I'm going to need to know that before I decide any further." Han had the feeling that he was going to let Leia have what she wanted, no matter what the reason. He really, really hated that feeling.

"I need to find Luke."

"Let me guess, brother-dearest has gotten himself in trouble – yet again – and you need to fly off to the rescue?" Before he'd met Luke and Leia, he'd always thought that he was the person who found the most trouble, but these two… Not only did they constantly pull off death-defying missions, but they were chased from one end of the galaxy to the other by Darth Vader. It certainly wasn't the first time, and Han doubted it would be the last, that he asked himself how he had become so mixed up in this family.

He didn't believe in the Force, but should it exist, then Han was relatively confident it had it in for him.

"I'm not sure," Leia admitted, cautiously, "but I'd like to find him to make sure. You know Luke, if he hasn't done something stupid, he's about to."

Han nodded, but privately added, _and if he hasn't or isn't, you certainly will, Your Highnessness._

"So can I?" asked Leia. There was no note of pleading in her tone. The words were kept calm and informal, probably deliberately, and Han had to give her credit – she must be trying her absolute hardest not to antagonise him.

Pausing for a few minutes, as if in consideration, Han took the time to size up the young woman in front of him. She was very young, he had to keep reminding himself, barely twenty standard years old. It didn't help that she often acted much older than her age, or that he was beginning to suspect – even with verbal sparring – she was attracted to him. But he had to keep in mind just how much younger than him she was, and the fact that good girls, from good families, did not have relationships with smugglers. Not ones that ended well, anyway.

Eventually, he met her eyes again. "No, I don't think I can lend you my ship – at least not without me on it."

Something like a cross between relief and annoyance overtook Leia's features, and once again, Han could see her holding back on some snappy comment born of those emotions. Whatever was bothering her about her twin was obviously something big. He didn't think he'd ever had such a polite conversation with her that lasted this long.

"I don't know how wise that is, Captain—"

"Wise or not, that's how it's going to be, Princess," he interrupted. "You want this ship, you got me and Chewie as part of the package."

Leia closed her eyes and Han could practically see her counting to ten. When she opened them, she released a breath. "Fine. Be ready to leave in an hour." With that she spun on her heel and stomped off.

Han watched her and her fine rear end go, then he looked up into the ship and called out, "Chewie, we're leaving in an hour!…I don't know where, Her Highness has yet to tell me…after Luke."

-x-x-x-

Luke finally had a lock on his father's location, on _Vader's_ location. He had followed every little rumour, every little twinge through the Force, and really it hadn't been too difficult. Either Vader was becoming sloppy or he was expecting Luke.

The young Jedi – could he really be considered that? – doubted the latter, because if it were true, then Vader was frighteningly powerful, and Luke doubted he'd be able to fight him. However, if it were the former, well it was all the best for Luke, but it would be so much better if he knew what had caused Vader's lack of attention.

His father – and yes, Luke could think the word clearly, even if sometimes his tongue stumbled over its unfamiliarity when spoken aloud – his father was someone, or something Luke could not understand. This did not make him unworthy, or even wrong: to accept things that sometimes seemed beyond your comprehension was a lesson he had learned young – so young he didn't even quite remember learning it.

However, it went hand and hand with another lesson he had learned. Evil in all of it's numerous guises and forms was not to be tolerated under any circumstances. Revenge was not part of the Jedi code, nor was anger – they went against everything in the Code to be precise. Justice, on the other hand, was to be pursued, maybe not at all costs, but certainly as the end goal. Padmé, Obi-Wan and even Yoda had had different opinions on what both the end and the means should be – and try as hard as he might, Luke had never quite managed to reconcile all three.

In the end, he had always taken a piece of advice that all three had given him at some point, said in different ways, but that had been spoken clearest by his aunt. He hadn't meant to talk to her about it. His training as a Jedi had frustrated his uncle, but the impression he got from his aunt was that it worried her. Not wanting to upset her, he had never really approached her with any aspect of it. Beru had always asked how things were progressing, but never to any depth, turning away if anymore than the cursory details were shared, not sure how to understand, how to cope. Yet, she had given the best display of anyone Luke had ever known of being able to accept something without being able to understand it. Her niece and nephew were training to be Jedi, and she didn't know why, or particularly approve, but she accepted it.

He had once witnessed an argument between his mother and Obi-Wan over some minor aspect of his and Leia's training. Padmé had fought with everyone in those days; Obi-Wan, Beru, Owen, even Luke and Leia, and Luke still hadn't figured out why. He had been standing in the corner of his aunt's kitchen, preparing himself a late dinner, not wanting to disturb the rest of the household, when his aunt had come in. She had been wearing a warm robe, and slippers to combat the nightly chill after the sun had gone, and asked him if he was all right, carefully adding several items to his plate to ensure he got the right vitamins. He had ended up pouring the whole story out to her, and for once she hadn't turned away, just listened quietly as he tried to explain how sometimes he tried to do both what his mother and Obi-Wan wanted him to do, but ended up with conflicting interests and annoying both of them. He couldn't quite figure out why if they both wanted what was best for him, they couldn't actually agree on it.

Beru had smiled at him softly when he'd finished and managed to give him some advice. "You have something that many beings do not, Luke, and something many more have, but throw away without fully using it: people who love you, want the best for you and are able to give it you. But they can only tell you so much, show you so much. The rest is up to you – whether they like it or not. You have to make your own decisions, not theirs."

She had kissed his cheek gently and sent him to bed while she washed the dishes.

Right now, Luke knew that Yoda was definitely not happy with his actions, and nor would Obi-Wan be if he were alive to disapprove. If Luke were to be truly honest with himself, he would know that his mother wouldn't either, but he had also decided that she was only fooling herself. Vader was an evil monster who needed to be destroyed. She would get that eventually. The Sith needed to be stopped, father or no.

-x-x-x-

Vader was thankful that this particular station was unmanned. It would have been frustrating to deal with a living being right now. At least droids didn't expect conversation, or tremble in fear every time you so much as looked at them.

Fear wasn't necessarily a hindrance, but after a while someone else's terror just became, well, annoying. It might help beings do what you want when you wanted it done, fast, but it didn't always help efficiency. Plus, sycophancy wore on the nerves. Palpatine might thrive on it, but while Vader found it useful on occasion, he much preferred the way droids operated – neatly, efficiently and without fear or agenda.

"Lord Vader," sneered a voice behind him, and had he been anything other than a Sith, he might have jumped. He turned slowly, keeping any emotional reaction, including frustration, carefully hidden. The young Emperor's Hand had impressive shields, and he hadn't been paying attention.

"Mara Jade," he rumbled.

"Hunting fugitives?" she asked.

He couldn't see a ship, and none had landed during the time he had been on the ground, which meant she had been here longer than him, making his negligence all the more worse. Jade was a powerful Force-sensitive, a shining part of the Force that generally stood out, and despite the training Palpatine had given her in how to keep herself invisible, Vader should have been able to sense her.

Ever since discovering that his treacherous wife had hidden two children from him, he had found his powers of concentration short at best. Bound and determined to find the twins, the other areas of his life, and the Force, were slipping slightly. In short, Vader was losing his edge, and if the end result hadn't been so potentially great, he would have stopped himself a long time ago. However, Jade was hunting the same target as him, and he couldn't allow her to take Luke or Leia first, because she would kill them without thought.

"This is none of your affair, Jade. The Jedi are my business."

"Not according to my Master. He wants those Jedi, and he doesn't trust you to bring them to him safely – uncorrupted." Her tone was triumphant, but Vader was too busy trying to hide yet another emotional reaction from her to pay much attention. "I don't even know why he's allowing you to continue this charade."

Mara Jade's orders were to bring his Master his children, apparently alive. Vader's orders were to kill them. Palpatine had always been the master of deception, and he used his ability to manipulate indiscriminately amongst both those loyal to him and those opposed to him. So it was not all that surprising that he had given his two most trusted agents conflicting orders. Nevertheless, it was enraging. These were Vader's children. _His._ If anyone should be allowed to bring them alive, it was him. Not only did Amidala steal them from him, but now Palpatine was trying to do the same.

He could not let Jade know that little piece of information, as she would take great delight in it, and use it to further her own ends. Apparently, Palpatine had yet to tell her why the two Jedi were so important, who they really were, which was interesting. His Master had no obvious reason to not tell Mara that Luke and Leia were Vader's children, meaning that there was other factor that there was something the Emperor was hiding. Neither Anakin nor Vader had ever been good at intrigue. Both preferred a straight fight, and no unseen agendas in their dealings. So right now, what was bothering Vader was, why would his Master do this?

Forcing himself to prevent Jade from discovering his inner contemplation, he looked at her, and answered her last comment, which showed a frightening amount of disrespect – even for her. "You'd do well to remember your place, Hand. Our Master will be very angry if you disappear – but not to the point it will cost me more than I can afford to lose, do you understand?"

As good as the girl was at hand-to-hand fighting, not even she could take him on and hope to escape with her life.

"I think you overestimate your position, Lord Vader."

About to give her an angry retort or teach her a lesson she'd never forget about respect, Vader was halted by an alarm announcing the presence of a ship exiting hyperspace above them.

Reaching out to discover the identity of the fool who would arrive on such as system without Palpatine's express permission was a mere formality. The pilot was not broadcasting his presence, but nor was he bothering to hide it, and with a Force-presence brighter than even the young Emperor's Hand, it was obvious who he was: Luke Skywalker.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

_Please review._


	32. Part Four: Chapter Twenty Eight

**Summary:** If every decision we make determines where we end up, what if instead of doing one thing, we do another? Obi-Wan and the Jedi never knew that Padmé was pregnant with Anakin's children. _The words were deliberate, to make Luke angry._

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Star Wars. No, really, I don't. However, if someone would like to bequeath it to me, I wouldn't object.

**Notes:** **_IT'S ALIVE!_** Yes, I am still kicking and screaming! It's a busy year this year (whoever thought that post-grad would be this much work?). However I can almost promise that the next chapter will appear in the not too distant future. It just all depends on how well the characters behave, and what they really want to do with themselves. Thanks to everyone who has stuck with me!

And a huge big thank you to Kathy for the beta:-)

**Chapter Twenty-Eight**

x-x-x-x-x-x-  
_We thought because we had power, we had wisdom. – Stephan Vincent Benet  
_x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Stay out of this, Jade," Vader growled at her.

She was tempted to ask what he wanted her to stay out of. The appearance of the star fighter obviously meant something to him, and she wondered what exactly, until she caught a good look at it's design.

X-Wing. Flown almost exclusively by the Rebels, it wasn't hard to guess who might be flying it. Luke or Leia Skywalker. There weren't many others in the Rebellion who would have the skills to find a private Imperial refilling station of this calibre.

Probably Luke. From all Mara had read about her two targets, while both of them could fly, it was only the brother who flew fighters. The sister was almost exclusively working within what passed as the Rebel's political structure.

If Vader thought Mara would pass up her opportunity to catch the Jedi Rebel, he was obviously not thinking very clearly. This would be her prize, not his. Capturing Skywalker would be difficult with an actual Sith in her way, but Mara was sure that it wouldn't be impossible. All she had to do was decide whether it would be best to somehow get to Luke first, before Vader, or wait until they had fought and then take out the winner.

Vader would be the harder person to beat, but after he had battled a young and fit Jedi Knight, surely he would have tired enough for her to have a chance. Skywalker, on the other hand, she had fought and knew he would be almost as difficult if he were the victor, but tired, and possibly injured from a fight he might just be an easier target. However, if there was some way for her to get her quarry away before either he or Vader could interrupt, forcing her to change her plans, that would be ideal.

Backing up, the young woman decided to wait until she could determine the best course of action. Although, she had no doubt that this would be one of the most challenging captures of her career, she knew there was most likely a way to overcome it. Skywalker would be landing in the next few minutes and when he did, he would find not only the second most powerful man in the galaxy waiting for him, but the best assassin.

She would wait until she could to determine how she should be dealing with this. Giving the appearance of acquiescence, Mara moved out of sight of Vader. As she headed towards some equipment, she felt him watching her, suspiciously. He didn't believe her calm acceptance for one moment, not after the furious fight she'd been putting up until moments before, not after the concentration she'd put into this search. Mara was aware that he knew she was still going to fight to make this her victory. Palpatine would not care who actually caught Skywalker, only who brought him in.

Not far from where Mara stood, the X-Wing fighter landed. Adjusting her position so she could watch the coming fight without be observed herself, Mara took the time to study her opponent. Except for that one time on Coruscant more than two years ago, she had never actually been in the presence of Skywalker or his sister. Knowing the way he moved and fought would be essential in case she needed to beat him.

Since their last meeting, she had improved greatly, but so, she had to assume, had he. From the little she knew about Jedi, she knew that physical fitness and the ability to fight was considered highly important. For so-called pacifists, they were remarkable warriors.

The young man – definitely Skywalker – all but leaped out of the cockpit to the ground and strode over to where Vader waited for him, a silent pillar. Appearances were deceptive, though. The Dark Lord might appear unmoving or unready, but Mara knew that with his ability and – she admitted grudgingly – his skill, it would take less than a heartbeat for him to move into action.

Apparently Skywalker was aware of this, as he stopped several feet from Vader. They were not close enough to battle comfortably, but not so far apart that they couldn't converse easily without Mara listening in. Not wanting to be seen by Skywalker, even though she knew Vader was aware of her presence, Mara couldn't get close enough to hear them, but she did have a clear view of both. Her range of vision was cut off by the equipment that gave her protection, but what she could see would be enough to keep track of most of the anticipated battle.

x-x-x-

Leia had given him a set of coordinates, but when Han had asked her where she had got them from and where they led to, she had been unable to answer. All she could say was that the Force had told her, and it finally had after nearly forty-five minutes of what was possibly the most unfocused meditation she had ever had since Obi-Wan had first begun to teach her. She could almost feel Yoda's gimer stick on her shins lecturing her about balance. Still, her search had yielded answers and for that she was grateful.

Surprisingly, when Han had started muttering about the Force again, he had been stopped by Chewie, who had told the smuggler to leave Leia alone. The Wookiee seemed to have a respect for the Jedi that his friend couldn't seem to grasp. Leia appreciated it, because Chewie was the only one who seemed able to exert even a fraction of control over the Corellian.

Luke was deliberately keeping her from reaching out to him, as he had been since he left Dagobah. His distance hurt, even though she knew she had done the same to him, two years previously when she had been taken captive by Vader. At least then she'd had a very good reason, trying to protect trying to protect him. His remoteness seemed to be very selfish.

Still, she was able to use the same method to find him, as he'd used to find her. It wasn't that easy to escape from your twin! Even when she was hopelessly distracted by a handsome smuggler…alarmed, Leia changed the track of her thoughts, to something a little less…attractive.

They weren't far from their destination now, and they'd be coming out of hyperspace very soon, and Leia found herself unaccountably nervous. She hoped that Yoda had been right that Luke was just searching for a part of himself and didn't need her help, but that didn't stop her from feeling afraid. And, she had to acknowledge to herself, alone. All her life Luke had been nearby. Even in the more tense times between them, after they joined the Rebellion, he hadn't been very far, and always close at hand.

She didn't like it when she couldn't find him easily. It made her feel unsafe. As much as Leia would like to think it was Luke who needed her, truthfully she needed him just as much. The thought that she might ever lose him to death, or even the Dark Side, made something inside of her tremble. A good part of her bravery came from the fact she knew he was beside her.

Tears stung at her eyes, but she blinked rapidly to hide them. Han or Chewie could walk in on her at any moment, and she didn't want them to see her cry. Everything might be falling apart – her mother was unwell, her brother was missing, and Vader was her father – but she still had some pride.

_Stupid Luke._

x-x-x-

For long moments, Luke did nothing but stare at Vader, unsure what to say now that he was here facing the monster who had hurt so many beings in the name of the Empire. Most of the Rebellion had personal reasons to hate what this man represented, but none of them could cite the same reasons that Luke could.

"Hello, son," hissed the great Sith. Luke felt icy chills race up his spine as he regarded Vader, his father.

"I'm not your son!" he snapped. Yet, something deep within him twisted in recognition, and it was a part of him he generally associated with his sister, a familial relation he didn't expect. He shoved it aside. He could not kill Vader if he found something in this man that was recognisable.

_Kill? No!_

The idea was repugnant, Luke realised with a sinking sensation.

"Is that what your mother told you?"

"Leave her out of this! You've hurt her enough!" His anger, though, wasn't entirely directed at the Sith Lord, or even at the man who had supposedly fathered him, but at himself. _Definitely a realisation that meditation could have given me._

"Any pain she has, she brought on herself. I should have learned a long time ago that all politicians lie – she was no exception." The words were deliberate, to make Luke angry. If he lost his temper, he would be fighting this on Vader's terms, and if he fought on Vader's terms then he would lose – or be lost to the Dark Side.

"Now, my son, will you join me?"

"Never! I will never follow your ways. Never." The firmness of his own tone reassured Luke a little. Did he really believe that he would never follow this monster? Yes, he really believed it.

"Very well," hissed the Sith Lord, and Luke thought he sensed disappointment, but it was quickly replaced by resolution as Darth Vader lit his lightsabre. Quicker than should have been possible with the restricting armour, Vader struck at Luke.

In that fraction of a second, before he could be hit by a crippling blow, Luke was able to switch on his own sabre, and deflect the hit. Before he even had time to riposte Vader had flicked his blade around and Luke had to move fast to avoid the swipe. Once again, he could not move fast enough to make an attack of his own. Vader could move like nothing he had ever seen. It was taking all of his skill just to not be injured.

Once, on Coruscant, Luke and his sister had duelled this man, but even then he had not even come close to seeing here. Luke was good, he knew he was good, but the Sith really was better.

Ducking a vicious swing that could have taken his head off, Luke wondered if Vader wanted him dead. His father was certainly doing a good job of attempting to take his life.

Managing to block the other's blade with enough Force to send him staggering back a step, Luke used the brief second not to make his own attack, but to leap high on to a stack of packing crakes. The boxes wobbled slightly, indicating that they were either badly balanced or lacked sufficient weight to hold steady, so he jumped down on to the other side of them, out of sight of Vader.

He ran along their length, trying to keep as far away from Vader as possible, until he could regroup enough of his senses to make the following battle more equal, or at least figure out a way off this rock. He just had to keep moving, much like he, Han and Leia had done when they escaped from Coruscant.

Unfortunately, Luke was only focusing on the Sith Lord, as he had assumed that Vader was the only one at this station. Normally it would have been a fair assumption, as it was a private stop over point for upper level Imperials to refill their tanks. At any rate, he wasn't expecting to run – almost literally – into Palpatine's red-haired assassin, Mara Jade.

"Hello, Skywalker, what are you doing here? Come to sign up to the Empire, at last?" she sneered at him.

_Oh, no, just what I didn't need now. Could this get any worse?_

Once again, he lit his sabre, after having shut it down to hide further from Vader. Now he was trapped. Vader was certainly following from behind, and he was unlikely to get past Jade. In the alleyway on Coruscant, he'd been lucky. She had no idea what she'd been getting into, and had been arrogant about her skills. Now she probably had a better understanding of what to expect, and she'd probably been working as hard as, if not harder than, him at physical battle.

"Mara Jade," he acknowledged, unsure how he was going to get out of this one. Switching his focus to partially in front of him, he kept a light surveillance on Vader, hoping the Sith wouldn't notice his presence. Vader was uncertain which way his wayward son had gone, and was looking in the wrong direction, but Luke couldn't risk going back that way and being seen.

"I'm not going to join the Empire, and you know it – if you know anything about what you're doing," he replied conversationally, frantically trying to think of a way out of this. He suspected that she'd been one of the ones trying to capture himself and Leia over the past few years, and if that was so, then she likely knew something about his personality.

"We'll just have to do this the hard way, then," she said, taking out a blaster. Not too much of a threat, but he suspected the woman holding it was more than competent both with the weapon and without it. Warily, he watched her step close to him, just as he felt Vader step up from behind, trapping him.

Moving as fast as he could, Luke spun ninety degrees and ran backwards a few paces, trying to keep them both in his sights, worried that now both his opponents were in the same place, that he had already lost.

However, it didn't seem to matter as Vader and Jade were temporarily more interested in each other than him. "Jade," Vader snapped, "I told you to stay out of this."

"You won't steal this from me, Vader," she spat back at him.

_Oh great, I'm the prize in a Dark Side squabble?_ Not taking the time to find out, Luke looked around and decided that going back the way he came was his best option. Its only downside was that it involved going past Vader. There wasn't any time to waste, neither Vader nor Mara were going to provide much time for him to escape.

Luke took off at a run, and heard Vader bellowing in rage, and Mara shouting in frustration, as he escaped out of sight.

There was a rush of air as the _Millennium Falcon_ burst of hyperspace a little too close the ground, causing Luke to duck reflexively. But he could hear the rapid footsteps of Mara Jade, and the hiss of Vader's respirator, so he had to keep moving. Running for his life, Luke was just fast enough that even Vader's reflexes couldn't quite keep up with him.

This was not a good sign. Not at all. While his sister would be a welcome ally in the battle between himself, Vader and Mara, if they lost then both of them would be captured.

Leia was taking pains to disguise her presence on board the ship, but this close she couldn't hide herself from her twin. _Leia, get out of here, leave!_ But she only sent back a negative reply. Luke tried to communicate the presence of the Sith and the assassin to her, but she was either not listening or disregarding what he was trying to say._ Leia, please!_ Nothing.

He passed the point where he'd come over the packaging cases and kept going, hoping for somewhere more substantial to hide before getting to the _Falcon_ and leaving. There didn't seem to be anything he could do keep his sister from landing. _Stupid, stubborn idiot! _But he tried one more time. _Leia, stay on board, please!_ But she was ignoring him.

Luke spun, and lifted his blade just in time to prevent Vader's from disabling him with a nasty sabre burn. Mara was nowhere to be seen, but Luke doubted that it mattered much as he had to move faster than he had before, just to stay alive.

He could feel anger pouring off Vader. Anger at him and Leia for resisting what the Sith viewed as their destiny, anger at Mara Jade for also thwarting his goal, and anger at…someone else…

The thrusts and slashes from the Sith were becoming harder and harder to deflect, requiring all of Luke's attention just to keep himself from being decapitated.

Suddenly Leia was there, too, and the pressure on Luke lifted a little. "Hello, Father," she said, striking with a speed Luke knew was an overcompensation for the fact that she was usually slow to attack, preferring defence.

Facing opponents from both sides seemed to calm Vader somewhat, and he became more focused. Before Leia arrived, Luke had been – barely – keeping up with the Sith, and he would have bet that the arrival of another Jedi, particularly one as skilled as his sister, would have evened the odds. This was not the case. Despite the fact that together the twins were better than twice as good as they were apart, they were still not quite a match for their father.

Finally, Luke managed to catch Leia's eye. He didn't want use the Force in case Vader picked up on what they were planning. Simultaneously, both began to fall back quickly in opposite directions. Vader couldn't follow both of them, and as he stayed where he was Luke wondered if, despite the shields he had erected around his mind, that Vader suspected what the twins were about to do.

The manoeuvre wasn't a particularly complex one, and only had limited effectiveness. It only really worked against other lightsabre opponents, and if the being they were fighting had the slightest inkling about what was about to happen, then it was easy enough to counter. By moving sideways, the Jedi were able to limit Vader's ability to counter their move. Then they rushed him.

As it turned out, Vader was prepared for them. Leia was swept off her feet by the Force, after being thrown off balance by a powerful feint, and landed badly, and by the time that Luke could think to adjust for the turn of events, he was flying through the air also. There hadn't been the slightest warning. One moment, they had both been heading for the Dark Lord, the next both were tossed around like they were nothing more than sheets of crumpled flimsi. More than anything it brought home how badly Luke and Leia were matched against Vader.

Leia was unconscious, Luke could tell that without much of an effort. Unfortunately, as he could not reach her through the Force in that state, he had very little idea of any other injuries that she might have sustained, and he had no time to find out. Vader had obviously come to the same conclusion that Luke had – that Leia was out of the fight, for at least a few moments – and he was heading towards his son.

Luke leapt painfully to his feet in order to start the fight again. Just then he noticed something moving behind the Sith. Han and Chewie. Doing his absolute best to draw attention away from his friends and sister, Luke let Vader beat him back a few steps.

Vader obviously interpreted Luke falling back as a retreat, not a big stretch of the imagination considering that Luke was unlikely to be victorious and both of them were aware of it. "You can't win, my son," grated Vader. "But if you come quietly, perhaps we can even defeat the Emperor."

For a second Luke was almost – _almost_ – tempted. The Emperor had been the biggest enemy to his family for as long as he could remember. But he knew neither Leia nor his mother would ever forgive him, not to mention Yoda would be so disappointed. Lastly, from somewhere deep from within him, Luke felt something reject the idea. He couldn't understand what exactly he felt for the black creature in front of him, and certainly not under these circumstances, but he didn't want to become him.

He shook his head. That was enough for Vader to lash out, but it was met cleanly by a strike from Luke, who had already been moving.

In the background, Chewie had picked up Leia and was carrying her away. Han, however, despite watching the pair go, and being concerned for Leia's safety, was hanging back, obviously reluctant to leave Luke. _Go!_ Luke cried silently. _Take Leia and go. You shouldn't have come! GO!_ Luke pushed with the Force as much as he dared spare without interrupting his fight with Vader. Yet still the Corellian wavered. Finally, though, he started to turn, and Luke put his attention fully back on his fight, which had become as much about keeping out of Vader's range as it did closing in battle. Now if only he could find away to extract himself from this and get away safely…

To Luke's horror, however, the red haired Mara Jade came up behind Han and clubbed him in the back of head, knocking him unconscious. Panicking, Luke reached out for his twin, and only just managed to duck Vader's swing. Chewie and Leia had just been back that way, what had happened to them? She was still out and he couldn't reach her.

_Oh, Force, what now? Two enemies, and everyone on my side is out._ Luke bit down on the rising terror and defeat. He was a Skywalker and he'd get out of this no matter what, because he had to. Never mind that on the other end of the leaping sabre in front of his eyes was another Skywalker.

The young Jedi struggled to get free of the battle, which was becoming harder to fight. However, Vader had picked up on Luke's distress and was doing his best to keep the battle going. On the sidelines, Luke could see Mara Jade out of the corner of his eye, watching the fight for the winner.

_Shouldn't she be helping, Vader? Despite whatever quarrel is between them, surely they want to unite for a common goal?_ Later Luke might realise that the two of them had completely different goals, and had no intention of marking out any common ground, that perhaps the Emperor had manipulated each of them into a position where they couldn't work together. It was a potentially damaging situation; certainly it weakened any coup, but it also gave advantage to the enemy.

As it was, Luke didn't have time for these thoughts now, it was taking everything he had to keep up with Vader. He couldn't escape as he had attempted earlier, because he couldn't seem to disengage long enough to do so. Of course, it probably wouldn't make too much difference, as the grim faced hunter on the sidelines seemed likely to catch him if he tried to escape. Slash after slash were becoming harder and harder to dodge or parry, let alone riposte.

Finally, he misjudged his opponent and then Vader's lightsabre seared through his wrist, removing his hand and his blade. The agony was shocking. Luke cried out and stumbled to the ground, clutching at the suddenly shortened arm. As fire laced up from the wound, and through his body, for some reason Luke had a clear image of the first time he had ever seen a lightsabre, when at age ten Obi-Wan had saved him from three slavers. One man had lost his arm then, too. As a child he had not even thought of the pain of the other being, and as he'd grown he'd never since stopped to consider it. Now it came back to him in a flash, and he found it ironic. Once such an injury had saved his life, now it would condemn him.

"Now, son, will you join me?" Vader intoned.

Luke quailed back from the sabre; aware of just how much pain it could cause him. He was defenceless, there was no one left to help him, and he had no weapon. He could barely feel the Force through the agony of his hand, and the fear twisting through him. Looking up into Vader's expressionless mask, he gave the only answer he could.

"Never."

Right then, the universe came crashing down on them.

x-x-x-x-x-x-

**_Please review! _**


	33. Part Four: Chapter Twenty Nine

**Summary:** If every decision we make determines where we end up, what if instead of doing one thing, we do another? Obi-Wan and the Jedi never knew that Padmé was pregnant with Anakin's children. _"Because otherwise you'll be sawn in half, and I'm not opening this door if you're going to be dead when I do!"_

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Star Wars. No, really, I don't. However, if someone would like to bequeath it to me, I wouldn't object.

**Notes:** Well, this is the last full chapter written before I saw ROTS. I'm not planning on changing anything major in this story, and certainly not anything that affects the plot lines, to fit the movie, and that includes the final Interlude (chapter after next). I've been writing this too long, and I'm too set in my ways to change now. ;-)

Thanks to Kathy for the beta. I really need to watch both my commas and my slang, particularly my Kiwi slang, eh?

Please read and review.

**Chapter Twenty-Nine**

x-x-x-x-x-x-  
_What is to give light must endure the burning. – Victor E. Frankl_  
x-x-x-x-x-x-

The _Falcon _had barely landed when Leia took off running, shouting behind her to Han to stay where he was. Obviously the dark haired Jedi didn't know him as well as she thought she did. As soon as the _Falcon _was secure, he ran after her, with Chewie following, but damn, for a thing with such short legs, she was unbelievably fast!

Leia turned a corner and when Han reached it, she was out of sight, so he slowed to a stop, breathing heavily. Where had she gone? To one side there was a black ship. Beside him Chewie growled a warning. The sleek black exterior resembled something that might turn out to be Vader's private transportation.

"Hope you're wrong, Chewie." But Han had a sinking suspicion that his friend was absolutely right. Not many people would own a ship of that particular design. Luke's X-Wing stood at the other end of the hangar, which meant that hopefully he was here somewhere. Otherwise, they were all going to be in a lot of trouble for nothing.

Along one side there was a mass of packing crates and rubble. This place was not well maintained, which was interesting for an Imperial port. Han supposed that any area that was not for show, and which Palpatine didn't visit, didn't get much attention maintenance-wise.

Tucked neatly behind the rubble was another ship, one Han didn't recognise, but the design suggested that is was also Imperial. Deciding that this was the best way to go, he motioned to Chewie and they headed for the rubble and what was behind it. Neither of them relaxed their guard, as somewhere around there were probably at least two Imperials, one of whom was possibly Darth Vader. Not to mention two Skywalkers who were running around unsupervised. _I knew this was a bad idea._

The ship was shut up tight, and unattended, but there was nothing to suggest that it had been there for very long. Certainly, it didn't seem to have been abandoned. Han simultaneously wondered where the owner was and hoped that they didn't turn up anytime soon. He was really starting to feel uneasy about this whole situation.

From down a side passage, a familiar sound – the crash of lightsabres – reached Han and Chewie. Han experienced a moment of concern that Leia and Luke had gotten themselves into something that he couldn't get them out of, before he started down the passage at a dead run, not checking to see if Chewie was following, just knowing that he was.

In the shadows, a form lay slumped against a wall. For a heart-stopping second, Han feared that it was Leia, but when he was close enough he saw the red hair in the gloom and realised that it was probably the woman – Jade something? – that they had met on Coruscant while trying to rescue Leia. Han paused to see if she was alive, which she was, just unconscious. Obviously, she'd gotten in someone's way and they'd temporarily eliminated her. Vader? Leia? Luke?

Han arrived at the scene of the fight just in time to see Vader deal a blow to Leia that was obviously combined with some kind of Force strike, and sent her flying into a wall where she hit the base of her skull on a broken something and fell back. Luke was given the same treatment, but although he hit the floor hard, he was able to climb back up, slowly. Leia stayed down. Han didn't know why that bothered him so much. Or rather, he didn't want to think about why it bothered him so much…

Vader's complete attention was focused on Luke. Obviously he believed that Leia being out of the fight left him with only her brother to worry about. Either he'd discounted her travelling companions or he didn't realise there were any.

"Chewie, grab Leia," he told his friend. Someone had to get to Luke. Leia had been so adamant about coming here to do just that, Han didn't really want to face the fury when she woke up and found that her brother had been left to Vader. She'd be mean, she'd be cruel, and she'd cause him a lot of pain. Besides, he wasn't too keen on leaving the kid behind either.

As Chewie bent to scoop up Leia, Vader spoke, causing both the Wookiee and Han to jump in surprise before the realised that words were not directed at themselves. "You can't win, my son," grated Vader. "But if you come quietly, perhaps we can even defeat the Emperor."

Something other than the general perversity of the words bothered Han, but he was too distracted to put his finger on it. Chewie was making a quick getaway with Leia, and the look he threw over his shoulder told Han how unhappy he was to be leaving the Corellian alone with Vader. Leia, however, was too important to Han, and in the end Chewie knew this.

Han had a sudden urge to run after his co-pilot. _We shouldn't have come!_ For long seconds, he stood there fighting with himself, wanting to stay but needing to leave, not understanding from where his indecisiveness had appeared. It was only as he was turning and the pressure eased slightly that he realised he must have been put under a mind-trick. Jedi! Always meddling.

A sharp pain vibrating through his skull interrupted Han as he was about to turn back to Luke, and he fell into the blackness.

x-x-x-

Vader had become so focused on his children – Luke in particular – that he had begun to forget the rest of the universe. The fight was taking every bit of his skill as a Sith to maintain his advantage. When Leia joined the fray he had thought he was lost – until the two pulled that trick on him.

Although it pained him to hit out at his children so, he was relieved when Leia was knocked unconscious by her fall. He could deal with her after he took care of Luke. With both his children on his side, he could, well, he could destroy Palpatine. When Luke's hand came away with his sabre, Vader felt a pang of sympathy, but he pushed it to one side. Such things could be dealt with later. As the boy was injured, Vader just about had his son where he wanted him.

However, Vader committed a potentially fatal mistake. He forgot about the other people at this station. Mara Jade for one: she saw Luke and Leia as her own prize, and the means to meet her own ends. Then there was whoever had arrived with Leia – most likely that infernal smuggler and his Wookiee. So although he had Luke, and presumably Leia, where he wanted them, it still left three other beings to create mischief.

His first warning was when a rain of debris toppled on himself and Luke, obscuring everything. The tumble was so surprising that at first Vader almost thought the station was collapsing, and from the sudden panic from Luke, he grasped his son's thoughts weren't too dissimilar. Both recovered quickly, too well trained to let such a disturbance faze them for long.

Vader roared at the distraction, while Luke was making the best use of his smaller frame to escape. Mara Jade had the opportunity she had been planning on when she loosened the rubble, and took off after Luke.

Briefly, the dust created by the avalanche blocked Vader's optical sensors. His suit contained a self-cleaning mechanism for such an event, but even that took a moment to do its work, and Vader knew that nothing would be at a hundred per cent until he could take the time to do repairs, or have one of his droids do them for him.

Jade and his son had disappeared when he was able to fully see again. A dip into the Force revealed that they had moved quite a way off, and that Leia was still unconscious. Remembering his recent mistake, he checked the Force for Solo and the Wookiee as well as any other interlopers that he might have missed. Solo, he could not find, and Leia was unconscious. The Wookiee was approximately where Vader estimated the _Millennium Falcon_ to be.

Leia and the two smugglers he would deal with soon. They were temporarily out of commission – right now he needed to focus on Luke and Jade.

_Jade_. When he got his hands on the young woman, she would regret what she had done, and what she was trying to do. Steal his children and upstage him in front of the Emperor, would she? Harming her in any way would bring considerable wrath from Palpatine, who was already displeased with Vader, but it would bring enough satisfaction that Vader was willing to take the risk.

Then he would be in a prime position. He would have his children to back him up, and the Emperor's prize assassin would not be in the way. Finally, he would be able to put into place plans that he had not even dreamed of before he discovered his children.

x-x-x-

Leia woke up furious. Actually, no that was wrong, she woke up in huge amounts of pain. However, as soon as she figured out what was going on, she was furious – and desperate to get back into the fight. Luke was trying to avoid Vader and Mara Jade, and she knew he wanted her to stay where she was. Her brother was injured and in pain, but he was much too worried about keeping ahead of his pursuers for her to be able to clearly sense him. What was more, she was distracting him, so she backed off.

Vader's dark presence was looming, not quite in Luke's direction, but definitely away from here. Leia couldn't help but be relieved. Darth Vader had always been a man she had feared – even more so after discovering he was her father – but now he had reminded her of the power he wielded. This was not someone she could take head on, not even with the combined might of her twin.

Shifting her attention, she reached out for Mara Jade and Han. Mara was definitely close behind Luke, and if Leia had been feeling slightly less groggy she might have tried to distract the other woman through the Force. As it stood, though, Leia doubted she could give her even a mental tap – not with the way that the other could shield.

Han, Leia couldn't locate. A tremor of dread made her afraid he was dead, although she knew that being unconscious, drugged, or even just asleep could produce similar effects. Making an effort to drag herself away from the surprisingly intense fear that Han might not have survived this trip, Leia turned to Chewie, wincing slightly as she struggled to focus on his face.

"Where's Han?" she asked.

Upon finding out that he had stayed to help Luke, Leia felt stirrings of panic. Both of them! Frantically searching through the pounding in her head for the familiar Force-signature, Leia finally located it. Han was just struggling to wakefulness, his bright presence reasserting itself in the Force. Relief like she had never known coursed through her. _He's alive! _her head sang. _Alive!_

"I've found him, Chewie, he's alive, and awake – we have to get him."

Unsteadily, she gained her feet, and leaned heavily on the table in the common area of the _Falcon_ as her vision swam. So, she wasn't quite capable of being able to walk, or even see in the right direction, but that shouldn't stop her from rescuing Han. She had Chewie with her, and as far as the Force could tell her, there were no guards surrounding Han – at least none that were sentient anyway. Until she was in physical sighting distance of him, she wouldn't be able to tell otherwise.

Chewie put his hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her back down on the bench that she had been lying on when she woke up, growling his concern at her, telling her to stay where she was until he found Han. Leia managed a vehement disagreement – there were plenty of Force-users drifting around here, she didn't want him getting caught by one of them without a Jedi nearby to fight them.

The Wookiee ignored her response, but was reluctant to leave her, and she gathered that Han had told him to take care of her. Only the fact that the man he had sworn a life debt to was in trouble could induce him to leave Leia.

Only he wouldn't be leaving Leia, because wherever he was going, then Leia was going too. She absolutely had to get to Han – it was of high importance. With one last flick through the Force to try and figure out where everyone was headed, Leia took off after Chewie to find Han.

She came to a halt at what she assumed to be Mara Jade's ship, with Chewie behind her. When she had stopped following him and he started following her, Leia didn't know, and right at that moment, she wasn't particularly interested. Somehow she had to get inside to find him.

The door to the ship was locked tightly, and while Leia could take the time to pick the lock, it wasn't a skill she was particularly adept at, and someone – Vader, if she knew her luck – would come along and surprise her in the middle of it. No, there was only one thing for it: she drew her lightsabre, lit it, and rammed it into the control pad beside the door. The controls gave a sick whine and sparked, but the door to the ship stayed resolutely shut.

Leia swore in Corellian, and beside her Chewie growled warningly about the effects of temper, reminding her that there were probably defence mechanisms installed to keep any unwary intruders out. Leia sighed and went to work on opening the door with her sabre, cutting away at it carefully, hoping that it wasn't going to explode if she accidentally hit the wrong cable, or hit on some complex and deadly security system. She just had to trust the Force to guide her hands.

Either there was no security system present, or Mara Jade had neglected to turn it on as eventually a section of metal large enough for Leia to fit through – and Chewie at a squeeze – fell out. Wiping the sweat out of her eyes Leia checked the Force for the three Force-sensitives. None of them were together, but none were far apart and for a moment she was tempted to go after Luke. He had sustained an injury and his Force-sense was confused and weak. Yet she needed to get to Han, because for some crazy reason, she didn't think she'd make it without him.

Her gaze swam from tears and what was probably a fairly serious concussion. Taking a deep breath, she pulled herself through the hole in the side of the ship. Chewie followed, growling in annoyance when his coat caught on the jagged edges of the newly cut entrance. Leia winced when she smelled singed hair, hoping that there hadn't been too much damage to her friend's coat.

Mara Jade's ship may have been state of the art – in direct contrast to the bucket of bolts that was the _Millennium Falcon_ or the familiar, worn _World Bouncer,_ but it was also smaller than both. As such, Leia didn't even need the Force to locate Han within the ship. He was locked inside one of the two small cabins, and when he heard someone outside, he pounded on the door and yelled obscenities at them.

Leia, much buoyed by the sound of his voice, yelled back, "Well, fine! If you feel that way about it, we'll leave you here!"

"Leia?" he said, sounding considerably less certain than he had a moment ago.

"No, it's Palpatine himself, just younger and prettier! Now stand back!"

"Why?" he asked suspiciously.

"Because otherwise you'll be sawn in half, and I'm not opening this door if you're going to be dead when I do!" Without further conversation she took her lightsabre and began cutting her way through. She wasn't entirely convinced that it was good practice, or even good for her sabre, but it was working. With an earth shattering crash the door fell inwards, nearly squishing Han, who was standing pressed back against the wall, his eyes wide.

Later, Leia would be unable to say what had possessed her – although the concussion seemed like a mighty good excuse – but right at that moment it was just what she had to do. She leapt forward and kissed Han Solo. On the lips. He seemed too stunned to react, and Leia, gathering her senses fast for someone with a head injury, pulled back and practically ran out of the door, shocked at her own impropriety.

"Don't touch the sides – they're hot!" she remembered to tell him over her shoulder as she stalked down the corridor. Behind her Han was spluttering, and attempting to call after her, and Chewie was chuckling.

Unable to help the red that crept up on her cheeks, Leia hopped out of the small ship, keeping her face turned aside so that when the Wookiee and the smuggler emerged they would not see it. Because of this she did not see Mara approaching, but Chewie certainly did. He was last out, so he saw what Leia, embarrassed and distracted, and Han, picking himself off the ground from where he'd stumbled, did not. Mara Jade was pushing Luke into the area at blaster point.

Leia felt her twin's presence at the same moment as she heard Chewie roar and as she looked up, her face turned rapidly from red to white.

Luke was dusty, bruised, and the way he held himself indicated unseen, and possibly internal, injuries. Jade had a blaster pointed at his neck, but he was in no other way restrained. Leia knew the woman carried binders, could see them hanging from the assassin's belt, and it took her a moment to understand why they weren't in use. There was something wrong with Luke's right arm…it seemed shorter than the other…

_Oh Force! Oh blessed Force, no!_

Mara hadn't used the binders, because in this situation they would have been useless, they would have fallen straight off Luke's right side. The reason Luke's arm looked shorter was because there was no hand there anymore.

Bile rose in Leia's throat, her temples throbbed, and her knees threatened to give. She had been aware her twin had been injured but had been too focused on other things to get a clear impression on him, simply trusting him to be able to handle Vader and Mara Jade. Now though, fire laced along her own arm and she felt a frightening, swirling sense of loss. No wonder Luke's mind had been a confused mess this last half hour or so.

_Luke? Oh, Luke, I'm so sorry!_ He didn't answer, but he met her gaze with slightly unfocused eyes.

"Well, look what we have here. Vader's daughter. That's who you are, isn't it? That's why everyone has been so obsessed with you, and him!" Jade kicked Luke roughly and he fell forward. Leia was glad to see he had enough presence of mind to try and catch himself. His injured arm failed, but with the Force and his good one, he managed to slow his fall enough that he avoided cracking his skull on the durocrete.

"What, you don't have anything to say? It's true, then." There was wonder in Jade's voice, despite some very obvious loathing and a whole lot of annoyance. She hadn't really believed until this moment, and Leia wondered how she'd come by the information, since had Palpatine told her, she would have believed it long before now.

Behind Leia, Chewie howled a disagreement, and Han backed him up angrily. Yet both held a note of uncertainty in their voices. Leia wanted to reassure them, but could not find the energy, or even the want, to lie. She kept her gaze on the two people in front of her. Everyone was injured, with the possible exception of Chewie. Luke's injuries were undoubtedly the worst, but a glance at their rival showed Leia the assassin wasn't faring all that well herself. Mara just hadn't lost any body parts yet today.

"Jealous?" Leia asked, finding her voice. She'd always sworn blind that no one – least of all a certain arrogant smuggler – would find out where she came from, and who her father was. But right now she needed to do whatever it took to win this battle.

"Of stuck up Jedi? No. You're not going to win, you know, Jedi never do. It's me or him." She flicked a hand behind her to indicate Vader, who was currently elsewhere. At least, Leia hoped he was elsewhere.

"So what makes you think that I – we – will choose you? Prefer you. After all, as you say Vader's my – our father."

"Hey, wait a second—" Han, who had been unusually silent during the exchange, decided now was the time to butt in. Leia made a cutting motion behind her back, hoping he'd get the message, and not decide to be contrary and go ahead and talk just to spite her.

Mara Jade ignored the interruption and Leia's response to it. "Because you hate Vader," she said with a note of satisfaction.

"Don't like you much either," rasped Luke from the ground, surprising everyone. Luke moved fast, bracing his left side against the ground and kicking out sharply at Mara's knee.

The young woman hadn't been expecting the man at her feet to have much fight left in him, and she cried out in pain as she went down with what was most likely a broken leg. There was a flash of something incomprehensible from Luke, and then he grabbed at Leia's own power, tugging enough to knock the assassin out for a good while. Neither of them had enough strength left to do alone what should have been a simple task. It was sobering just how weak they were at the moment.

However, even the small movement in the Force was enough to attract Vader's attention, and now the Sith was heading in their direction. That much Leia could feel, even if the sense was growing rapidly weaker.

The Jedi ran to her brother and hauled him to his feet, staggering at his weight and the added pain of his injuries coming from physical contact. Until that moment, she'd been able to push it aside, but now it rolled straight off him and on to her.

"Luke!" she gasped.

"Sorry." Abruptly the agony lessened to a manageable amount, though it was by no means gone.

"Han, Chewie, please?" she asked desperately, trusting them to help her even with the shock of Mara Jade's announcement. The four Rebels had to get away from here before Vader arrived – they wouldn't survive a confrontation with him, not now.

Suddenly, someone was lifting Luke away from her and, irrationally, she hung on to him – they wouldn't take her brother away. A growl worked its way through her sudden panic and fear. It was just Chewie taking Luke's weight, picking him up. The Wookiee had sustained few injuries and his size and strength meant he could take Luke. On her other side, Han came up and supported her with an arm around her waist. She leaned on him, relieved. Her eyelids fluttered shut.

"Don't pass out on me, yet, princess, we need to get off this rock first." Normally Leia would have snapped at him not to call her 'princess' but right now she wasn't sure she had enough energy to form the words, let alone make them into a reprimand.

She forced her eyes open, knowing that Han was right; she couldn't afford to lose consciousness just yet, not when it meant she might end up in a coma. It would be much better to wait until she could put herself into a healing trace. _If_ she could, that was.

With Han half dragging, half carrying her, they reached the _Falcon_ at a speed slightly faster than a crawl. Chewie had gotten there first and after putting Luke in a cabin, was already starting up the _Falcon_. Han pulled Leia up the ramp as it began to shut and the ship began to lift off.

As soon as they were inside, Han let go of her and headed for the cockpit, but not before he called over his shoulder, "We're not done yet, sweetheart, we still got a lot to talk about."

Too tired and hurt to move, Leia crumpled to the floor. Pulling herself against the wall, she wrapped her arms around her legs and dropped her head to her knees. She had no idea how she was going to tell Han about Vader, he already seemed pretty angry and shocked.

_At least he called me sweetheart._

x-x-x-

Vader had not managed to catch up to his son after Jade had pulled the rubble down on their heads, or even find his daughter, both of who had disappeared. He couldn't quite help feeling, even through his annoyance, pride at their strength to keep on fighting even when all hope was lost. It spoke of huge amounts of courage. Padmé had raised them well….

Violently, he squashed the thought. She had stolen his children from him, and tried to raise them to follow a weak and defeated religion. His hatred of her knew no bounds… and yet it did. Vader didn't hate Padmé, couldn't hate her. His wife may have taken the only worthwhile things in his life and kept them where he could never find them, but…

…she had only ever done what she felt was right. She had been corrupted by the Jedi, certainly, but she wouldn't have left if she hadn't thought it best for the children.

It was a new and interesting angle, but he couldn't afford to follow it now. Instead, he followed the traces that his children left in the Force, working his way to where he thought their weakened presences were. In such a beleaguered state, they were hard to find.

A sudden flare gave away their position as Mara Jade's presence disappeared – dead or unconscious. He headed towards the location. They would be moving, but if he could get to a place they had been, he might be able to trace them to where they were before they left completely.

He arrived at the ship Jade had been using only to find her unconscious on the ground beside it. He sighed. The Force was still strong around her, and she would live. He supposed it was for the best. If she survived, he was unlikely to be punished. Whereas if she died, he surely would, whether he'd had a hand in it or not. Palpatine would not have let the death of his favourite assassin go unavenged, and Vader refused to become a target for something he didn't do. If he killed the girl in a fair fight, however, well, that would be a different matter. He left her there.

Luke and Leia were badly hurt, their presences flickering in and out, and both were fighting tooth and nail to stay awake. Again, pride washed over him: that wasn't two weak babes that he had fathered, but strong warriors. Should he convince them, they would make excellent aides to him when he destroyed Palpatine.

Vader didn't notice that he was now thinking in terms of when he destroyed Palpatine.

Unfortunately for him, he arrived at the location of his children in time to see the _Millennium Falcon_ take off and shoot into space. Knowing he would never be able to catch them – they'd be in hyperspace long before he could even get off the ground – Vader let the rage wash over him, but resisted the urge to do something to get them back down. Anything he could attempt to bring the ship back down was too risky. With Luke and Leia in such injured states, they stood a much greater chance of being killed in any crash that would result from a damaged ship or suffocated pilot. Instead, Vader vowed silently that the next time they met, his children would be _his_ – one way or another.

On the way back to his own ship, he once again passed Mara Jade, who was still unconscious. She must have taken quite a hit to be out still. As a powerful Force-sensitive, she should have been able to take on Luke and Leia in their depleted state. It just went to show how much better it was train Force-sensitives, rather than leave them without the defence that even Jedi had.

Shrugging off any further thoughts, he picked the girl up and took her inside her ship, placing her in the cabin with the working door. Then, as an afterthought, he checked her communication systems and found them working. It would be a blow to her pride to ask for help, but she'd get off this rock all right.

Vader knew he could head back to the _Executor _or to Coruscant. Neither seemed appealing, but eventually he decided on Coruscant. Sooner or later, he was going to have to face the Emperor, and it was better to get it over and done with. The longer he waited, the longer the Emperor had to plan out a suitable punishment for failing to retrieve Luke and Leia.

Silently he promised himself that this would be the last time his master had the chance to exercise his power over Vader.

x-x-x-x-x-x-

**_Please review._**


	34. Part Four: Chapter Thirty

**Summary:** If every decision we make determines where we end up, what if instead of doing one thing, we do another? Obi-Wan and the Jedi never knew that Padmé was pregnant with Anakin's children. _"He was not strong enough, Captain Solo, not strong enough by a half – but they are. Do you understand me?"_

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Star Wars. No, really, I don't. However, if someone would like to bequeath it to me, I wouldn't object.

**Notes:** Remember me? No? Not surprised, I don't remember me half the time. I am trying to write this, but if I have any space to breathe over the next two months I'll be surprised. Please read and review.

Thanks to all the wonderful people who reviewed, and I didn't get a chance to respond to - I love you all, but time is a little short these days!

Thanks to the awesome, Kathy, without who this fic wouldn't make half as much sense as it does!

**Chapter Thirty**

-x-x-x-x-x-x_-_  
_The world breaks everyone and afterward many are stronger at the broken pieces. – Earnest Hemingway_  
-x-x-x-x-x-x-

When Leia felt the _Falcon _jump to lightspeed, she finally managed to pull herself to her feet to go and see how Luke was feeling. Through the Force, she could feel that he was trying to stay awake, but it was a losing battle. Consciousness was slipping away for both him and herself. Thinking that he really should be doing something constructive, like putting himself into a healing trace Leia went off to the cabin that her brother usually used when aboard Han's ship.

Luke was lying restlessly on his bunk, trying to get comfortable. But with all the injuries he'd sustained, first from Vader and then from Mara Jade, he was aching all over. There was a small medkit in the cabinet, so Leia fetched it and brought it back to her brother. It wouldn't do much, but it'd help a little, the healing trance would do some more, and a full bacta dunk would finish off the task. Still, none of that would give him his hand back. Leia shuddered just thinking about her brothers missing limb, her mind almost shying away from the topic in horror.

To avoid causing him more pain, she crouched beside the bed, careful not to touch him. Luke opened his eyes and turned his head slowly to look at her. His usually clear blue eyes were unfocused and glazed, but she could see recognition in them.

"Hey," she said softly.

"Hi," he rasped back.

"Think you can sit up so I can bandage your arm?" she asked him and he nodded, attempting to push himself up, but forgetting that he only had one hand. Leia caught him as he fell back, and eased him up so he was leaning against the wall. Even then she could see him biting his lip in pain.

There wasn't a lot she could do for his arm, just wrap it tightly to keep it clean and protected. Then she helped him into a healing trance, hoping by the time he woke they'd both feel better, in body as well as spirit, but not really counting on the fact.

Leia swayed as she stood to head for the other bunk. She supposed she ought to find Han or Chewie and tell them what was going on so they didn't panic when they found two comatose Jedi, but she couldn't even see straight. When she stumbled, though, someone caught her around the waist, and it was lucky for him that she was as dazed as she was. Had she been any more aware of her surroundings, she would have gone for her sabre.

"Easy," Han said softly in her ear, and she relaxed against him, as he guided her to her bunk, and helped on to it.

The young Jedi lay back. "I need to go into a healing trance," she murmured, closing her eyes.

"What?"

"Healing trance. It looks like I'm in a coma, but I'm not." When she opened her eyes to see if he got the message, she saw him looking over at her brother.

"Like Luke?"

"Yes."

"I want some answers, princess."

"Later, I promise," she breathed.

Reaching out, Leia tapped into the Force and pulled its comforting warmth around herself, and into her, falling into the empty recesses of a healing trance. Just before she was completely gone, she thought she felt a hand brush the hair back from her face, but wasn't sure if it was really there or if it was her imagination.

-x-x-x-

Han landed the Falcon on the latest Rebel base – some rock whose name he couldn't remember, but was remarkably similar to almost all of the other ones – broadcasting a message for bacta and medics. Luckily for them, Luke and Leia were the golden twins of the Rebellion, the only two Jedi in the galaxy, so response would be immediate.

The more he thought about it, the more ironic the whole hero-worship thing seemed, taking into consideration just who that assassin had claimed Luke and Leia's father was. Were they really related to the black-clad monster who was second-in-command of the Empire?

As soon as the ramp had lowered, the first person up the stairs, with a medic and a 2-1B hard on her heels, was Padmé Skywalker. He had never seen the beautiful, regal woman so upset. Even when she had been in the medward bed herself, Padmé had looked composed and together. Now she was frantic, her eyes wide with concern, her breath quick.

"Where are they?" was all she said, soundly almost normal, but the slight quaver in her tone betrayed her real feelings. Han pushed all worries about confessions from the Skywalker family aside, despite the fact that the questions were all but burning their way through his mouth. He held them back only on account of the fact that Padmé was one of the very few people he honestly respected.

"In the back cabin, Chewie's with them." The twins hadn't stirred once in the short trip. They lay still like the dead, unresponsive, pulses' slowed and breathing light. It was unnerving to see them like that, when they were both such lively, energetic people.

Padmé's step was quick, and before Han could think about following she had disappeared, the medic and the droid with her.

He entered the cabin behind them, in time to hear the medic's question. "What's wrong with them?"

"They're uh, in uh…"

Chewie prompted the answer for Han, but it was Padmé who answered fully. "They're in healing trances. It's a Jedi technique to help them heal faster." Her voice was flat and unemotional, any sign of concern or fear having being wiped out of it.

"Must be helpful," muttered the medic as he and 2-1B organised the stretchers for Luke and Leia.

No one answered, because at that point Padmé caught sight of Luke's arm and any pretence of calmness in her flew out the window. She cried out and hurried to son's side. The curse that passed her lips almost blistered Han's ears.

"How…Vader?" It wasn't really a question, and Han could see no trace of doubt in her eyes as she looked to him and Chewie for confirmation. "_He_ did this, didn't he?"

"Yeah," said Han, not knowing what else to say. The smuggler wasn't one to back down from confrontation, but for a second he needed to look away from the blaze of fury that lit up the eyes of the woman in front of him, and it wasn't even aimed at him.

"Unfortunately," said 2-1B, examining Luke's injured arm, "the wound appears to be cauterised. Even if we have the hand, it cannot be reattached."

"Of course not," snapped the slender woman who was still kneeling at her son's side, gripping his good hand tightly. "This is a lightsabre wound."

"Milady, please let us take them to the bacta tanks, now. I know you're concerned, but this is important."

Padmé looked down. "Of course." She didn't say another word as they all followed Luke and Leia to the medward, walking with her head down and her hands clenched at her sides.

-x-x-x-

"Ma'am?" he said softly. Luke and Leia were finally in bacta tanks, and despite the healers repeated warnings that the Lady Pala Antilles was unwell and needed rest, Padmé had been set on staking out her children's bedside. Han had reluctantly let himself be examined – mild concussion, and a few bumps and bruises – before returning to check on them.

"Yes, Captain Solo?" she replied.

"That assassin of Palpatine's – Mara Jade…" how did he ask this? If Luke and Leia were reluctant and guarded about the information, what was Lady Skywalker, herself, going to be like?

"Yes, I know her." Of course she did. Jade had only been hunting her children for the last couple of years.

"Well, she had us in a tight spot, and she said something to Leia, something I don't think she believed at first, something that I don't think I believe. Uh…" he paused but she didn't interrupt, only raised an eyebrow. He wiped his hands on his pants, suddenly nervous in a way he hadn't been since he was a child. _For the sake of the gods, get it over and done with!_

"She said, she referred to Vader as being, being Luke and Leia's…uh, um…"

"Their father." There was no expression in the woman's tone, just flat certainty and acceptance.

"Uh, yeah."

"I don't know how she came by that piece of information, although it's highly likely she has a good source, but it doesn't matter much. It's the truth."

Han had no response to that. What could he say? This woman had been married to Darth Vader, had at one time— _don't go there, Solo, you don't want to go there._

"Why wasn't I told?" he asked, surprised at his own belligerence. Was he that untrustworthy?

"It is not information I go around handing out," she said curtly. "As for Luke and Leia, I can only guess that they never told you because it is not something they want widely known, probably not something they want anyone to know. It is not something they are proud of, or are happy about."

"Of course not," Han said a little unsteadily. He couldn't imagine either Luke or Leia being pleased that the second-in-command of the entire Empire was their father. "I'm sorry," he said.

Padmé looked at him curiously. "For what?" she asked.

But Han had never been a very expressive person so he waved his arms in what he hoped was a communicative manner.

"You're a brave man, Captain Solo, and an intelligent one – despite Leia's protests to the contrary – but it's important that you understand this. Luke and Leia never chose this life, and yet they've spent twenty years paying for it. Most people take without a thought to giving – that is what Palpatine has built his Empire on – but those two—" she indicated the room where Luke and Leia hung suspended in bacta, "—have dedicated themselves to making up for everyone's mistakes, including their parents'. Whatever path Vader has chosen, it is not theirs, and while I have a say in the matter, it never will be. I hope you can understand that."

"Yes, ma'am." There was a pause and Han watched Padmé. She was studying the other side of the door like she could see through it.

"Once," she said, almost to herself, although her soft words instantly caught Han's attention, "they came to me to tell me my husband was dying. They had him in bacta, although I know the healers were saying it was no good. They didn't expect him to live. They did not know how he was still alive. And yet he was and he did. Palpatine and his people swooped down and I never saw my Anakin again."

So that's how Vader came to be. Or how he came to be the black machine who terrorised the galaxy as it was today.

"Vader?" he asked not sure what he wanted to know.

"I've seen him once since then. It was not pleasant. He was not strong enough, Captain Solo, not strong enough by a half – but they are. Do you understand me?"

Strangely, he did. Meeting her gaze steadily, he nodded and received a slight smile in return. Luke and Leia, whatever else they were, were strong and good. Han did not understand how Vader or Anakin or who ever he was could have become so evil when he had a family full of such _good _people, but Han knew that neither Luke or Leia were going to follow in their father's example. His already high opinion of Padmé Skywalker rose.

-x-x-x-

Later, when Han went to see Leia in the medward, he found that she had already checked herself out, against the recommendation of the medic. When he went to check on Luke, he found Padmé asleep in a comfortable chair beside her son's bacta tank and a droid checking his vital signs.

"How is he?" Han asked 2-1B, indicating the Jedi floating in front of them.

"He is doing well. By my estimation we can remove him from the bacta tank by this evening, sir," the droid answered.

Behind the glass Luke floated, seemingly serenely, but even though his features were distorted by the tank and liquid, Han could see his friend's face was anything but peaceful, and the sight of Luke's shortened arm was chilling.

"What about his hand?" Han asked, swallowing. Even the thought of such an injury made him want to rub his own wrists.

"We will have to attach a prosthetic."

Han remembered Vader and his connection to the twins and the smuggler couldn't help but wince. Vader's own body was a mass of prosthetics. Han couldn't imagine this would be easy for any of the Skywalkers.

Looking hard at Luke, Han tried, but was unable to connect the person before him with the Emperor's dark shadow. Shaking his head, Han spared a sympathetic glance for the still slumbering Padmé and went further in search for Leia.

He found her in the rooms she had been assigned. When she opened the door, her clothes were rumpled. Under her eyes there were dark circles and her lips were pressed thin and unhappy.

Han pulled his attention away from Leia's lips. Recent memory was able to present him with what those lips felt like against his own. Far, far too good.

"Did you want something, Han?" she asked with a touch of impatience, and he did his best to focus on the matter at hand.

"Does your mother know you're out of the medward?" Han barely controlled a sigh at his own words. Was there a moment where he could not antagonise Leia? Normally he would have done his best to do so, because there was no female alive as beautiful as Leia Skywalker when she angry. Hell, there was no female alive as beautiful as Leia Skywalker, angry or not.

Leia managed to affect a glare at Han, but it lacked her usual fire. The young Jedi was known in the Rebellion for her ability to skin anyone alive with just a look. This one barely burned.

"Mom is hovering by the bacta tank. She's waiting for Luke to wake up. She doesn't need to worry about me." He supposed she meant to snap at him, but the words came out tired. "If that's all…" She went to shut the door.

"Not so fast, princess, you and I are going to have a little chat."

For a long second, he thought she was going to object, but she pushed the door open enough to let him in, a look of resignation settling over her features. Han took her desk chair, while Leia sat on the suspiciously made bed. She looked like she had been sleeping, but obviously not on the bed. Where? The papers on the desk were rumpled, and Han bit back another sigh.

"So…" he said and trailed off, wanting some answers, but not really sure what he wanted to ask, either.

"So?"

"Darth Vader…I, uh, asked your mother, and she…confirmed what that assassin said…"

"I'm surprised she did that much. She managed to successfully dodge mine and Luke's questions for long enough. Do you know that we had no idea who he was until nearly two years ago? She hid it from us that long. We didn't even know his name was Anakin Skywalker until our grandparents told us when we were sixteen. We didn't even know we had _grandparents_ until we were sixteen!" Leia had risen from her perch and was pacing around the room, frustration rolling off her, visible even to Han who didn't have the Force.

"With all due respect to your mother, Leia, your father is—"

"I know who he is!"

"—don't you think that a little secrecy was a good idea?"

"Yes, that's the problem! But why me?" There was layer after layer of frustration in her tone, mixed with old pain and grief. Han didn't know how to answer that one.

A long pause followed as Leia continued to stomp up one side of the room and down the other, her breathing still heavy with stress. Han tracked her movements, but didn't try to prevent them. In his life, he had needed to deal with a lot of tricky situations – some of them better than others – but none of them had been as tricky as the one in front of him, which was made all the worse, because Han actually cared what Leia thought and felt. One wrong move and he might lose her. He was surprised at just how much he didn't want that to happen.

As it didn't seem that they were going to get any further on this train of thought, Han directed the conversation to another area that concerned him. "On that rock, when you came for me, what was that about, Leia? Why'd you kiss me?"

There. He'd said it.

Leia froze, her back to him. "Nothing. It was nothing," she told him flatly. He wished he could see her face.

"Didn't feel like nothing, sweetheart."

"I was worried about you, and in the heat of the moment…you don't have to worry about anything. It meant nothing."

Han felt strangely deflated. It had been one kiss from a barely legal woman with a bad temper. At the same time, it was more important to him than any other kiss he'd ever received.

"If that's the way you feel…" He felt like a boy whose first crush was turning him down.

"It is." Leia wasn't looking at him, and her whole posture was rigid and tense.

"Whatever." He shook his head and stomped to the door, letting himself out into the corridor.

He did not hear the crying that started almost as soon as the door shut behind him.

-x-x-x-

Luke woke up in the bacta tank, and pushed himself up. He was helped out into the air, which tingled coolly at his skin. His mother was waiting for him as he was helped into a bed.

"Hey, Mom," he said quietly.

"Oh, Luke." She reached out and took his remaining hand in hers massaging it gently. Then she hugged him tightly, and he returned the embrace, relaxing into her arms. It felt so good to be comforted by his mother again. A few tears leaked out his eyes, but they were gone by the time he pulled back.

"I'm so sorry, Mom. I shouldn't have done that. I just thought…" he trailed off.

She sighed and stroked his hair back from his forehead. "I was so very worried about you, but you came back to me, Luke, and that's what matters. You came back." There was something in her tone that he was missing, but the important part was she didn't hold any of his rash actions against him.

"Sir," said 2-1B from his bedside, "if you're ready, we can take measurements for your hand." Luke glanced tiredly down at his missing limb.

"Sure." His mom had taken his good hand again. He squeezed it to let her know how much he appreciated her being there. And she stayed beside him the entire time.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

**Next chapter is the final interlude and then I'll make a start on Part Five. Wow, we're in the home stretch now!**

**Please review!**


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